Just a little longer
by Cresentmoon2
Summary: 17 year old Beca Mitchell is ready to be done with high school and her mother. Dealing with her abusive, alchoholic mother everyday is exhausting and she's done. Then, she meets Chloe Beale who just moved in across the street. Chloe is dealing with the aftermath of her older brother's death. She's prepared to be miserable, until she meets Beca. Will they be able heal each other?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- I'm so excited to start this story. It's going to be different from the movies. The characters will be all set up differently. I don't know how else to explain it. I guess you'll have to see. I would love to hear your thoughts on it! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer:I do not own Pitch Perfect or the characters from the movies.**

Beca's POV

I watch from my window as the moving van pulls into the driveway across the street. I wonder who it'll be now. Hopefully, not a band again. Before they were kicked out a couple of months ago, there were some 20 year olds who thought that playing their horrible music that consisted of just banging instruments together and screaming, louder would make them sound better. Trust me though, it didn't. It only made my mom more irritated though now, she's more calm. Not much, but just enough to let me have some freedom from her screaming and cursing at me.

"Beca,"speak of the devil. I run downstairs, tripping over beer bottles and cigarettes. I've tried to keep the house clean, but every time I do, it just gets ruined during the night. I know that my mom does it on purpose. She hates me for some reason. Probably because dad left her. What she doesn't seem to get is that he left me too.

"What do you want?" I sigh, tired of putting up with her.

"What is this?"She shoves a piece of paper in my face. Oh crap. It's my report card. I meant to hide it so that she couldn't see it. "An F in almost all of your classes. Why are you slacking? Are you too lazy? Oh that's it. You're too lazy to do anything but sit on your ass while I pay for this house, the food, and everything else. You're 17 years old. You should take some responsibility for once in your pathetic life. Why.."I tone her out as she continues to insult me. All of it is lies, of course. I have a job as a waitress at Stacie's Diner a few miles away that I work at as much as I can to try and pay the bills. Stacie, the owner, makes sure that I don't overwork myself and tries to occasionally slip me a few extra bucks. She knows about my mother not being able to keep a job, but not about her hitting me. Even though stacie's only a few years older than me, she's like a mother to me.

"Are you even listening? Of course not. When do you ever listen to me?"My mom screams in my face, slapping me.. I stay emotionless, my cheek stinging, as she stomps away. No tears come. I stopped crying a long time ago. Only 2 more years to go, then I'll be free. I sigh, hanging my head. Two more fucking years.

Chloe's POV

"You can pout all you want, but we're not going anywhere,"my dad comments. Scowling, I grab my bag and head inside the new house. I should be used to moving, but this time, we didn't move for my dad's job. We moved because of Nathan. Trying to stop the tears, I run up to my new room. It's the room upstairs, straight across the stairs. My twin brother's, Jesse, is next to mine on the right. I walk into my room, shutting the door behind me. I head straight to the window that looks out at the front yard and the driveway. The moving van pulls into my driveway and something across the street catches my eye. A girl is standing at the window from the house that's directly across from mine. I squint to see her better and am able to see that she's small with dark, brown hair. I can't tell what age she is, but I can see that she's watching the moving van. I hope she's my age. I go to wave, not sure if she can see me or not, when she turns away suddenly and leaves. My heart drops in disappointment for some reason.

"Chloe, come down,"my mom yells and I slowly walk downstairs to help move our stuff inside. For the next few hours, we get all the boxes situated with the help from the moving guys. My dad tips them and they leave, backing out of the driveway fast like they can't wait to get away from the glares and tension that we're all sporting. Like me, Jesse is not very keen on the idea of moving here. We both, along with Nathan, had gotten used to moving because of my dad's job in the military. After Nathan's death though, my dad resigned and moved us here so that he could be a principal at Barden high school. My mom's strangely okay with it, even though she had to uproot her floral shop and move it here. I shake my hands out, trying to simmer the rage that's boiling over.

"Alright, let's order some pizza and then get some rest. We have a lot of unpacking to do before you guys start school on Monday." Jesse and I stomp up to our rooms to hide until dinner.

"This is ridiculous,"Jesse mutters, going into his room and slamming the door behind him. I lay on my mattress and play on my phone. I hear a knock on my door and my mom pokes her head in.

"May I come in?"I nod and she comes over to sit next to me as I sit up. "I just want to say that I'm so proud of you. You've handled all of this so well and I know that it's been hard. It'll get better. You'll see."

"I don't about that. I know that I should be used to moving, but this..this is different."A lump forms in my throat and my mom brushes the hair that I get from her, out of my face. Our hair is the same bright red, but hers is short and straight whereas mine cascades down my back in waves.

"I know, baby. I know but you'll make friends here." She smiles suddenly, getting a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Maybe you'll meet a girl."

"Ew, mom,"I playfully slap her, but I can't keep the grin off of my face. My whole family knows that I'm gay, but my dad doesn't really approve. He deals with it, but at first, he wouldn't even look at me. Nathan helped me when I came out a few years ago, before his death. My mom supported me too, but worked on getting my dad to come around instead of comforting me. Don't get me wrong, I'm eternally grateful for my mom getting him to accept me, but I really needed my mom during that time. Jesse just shrugged and said that it was about time that I realized it.

"I'm serious though,"she says, getting serious. "You can make actual friends this time. We're not going to move in a few months like we used to. Now, we're putting down some roots."

"We had roots in the other place,"I cry, angry tears sliding down my face. After my dad resigned, we stayed in the house that we were living in. We lived there for almost 3 years before moving here.

"You know why we couldn't stay there,"my mom states and I nod, somnely. Too many memories of Nathan.

"I better head downstairs. The pizza will be here soon." My mom stands up and pauses at the doorway. "How about you come with me to the shop tomorrow. Jesse will be out with your dad and I could use the help setting up." I nod and she smiles, leaving me alone to think about about everything that has happened since my brother died a year ago.


	2. Chapter 2

Beca's POV

I'm awaken by the sound of the doorbell. I look at the time. 1:23 PM. Working for 8 hours straight must've gotten to me. I rush to the door, careful not to wake my mom up.

"Coming,"I whisper yell. I throw open the door, startling the woman. She must be the person who moved in. She has bright red hair and kind, blue eyes.

"How may I help you?"I ask, politely.

"Hi, I'm Katherine Beale. I just moved here with my family."She points to her house and turns back to me. "Anyway, I want to invite you and your family to dinner tonight. It's at 6:00. We would love to have you."

"I'm Beca and thank you,"I say, taken aback because no one except for Stacie has invited me to have dinner with them. "My mom probably can't come, but I can try. Work." I roll my eyes to try and cover up the bitterness in my voice when I said mom. She's anything but that.

"Okay,"she smiles, curiosity covering her face. "That would amazing. I have a daughter and son about your age, so you should get along just fine."

"I can't wait to meet them,"I say, surprised that it's the truth. "Have a good day." She says the same and heads to her house. I shut the door and come face to face with my mother.

"Who was that?" She demands and I push past her, shaking my head.

"Just the new neighbor introducing herself." I walk to the kitchen to grab my bag to go to work. "I have to go to work. Don't stay wait up for me." Like she would even think about staying awake to make sure that I get home safe. She just grabs a bottle of whiskey and plops down on the couch. I leave, not looking forward to walking the several miles to the diner. At least I have something to look forward to later.

Chloe's POV

I ignore the front door opening and shutting, too engrossed in my phone. It's my only escape from this horrible reality. The reality that Nathan's dead and that we moved to a new place. I only get up when I hear voices from across the street. I can't make out what's being said between my mom and the figure at the door. I wonder if it's that girl from the window. What could they be talking about? When my mom heads back over, I run downstairs, eager to find out.

"What were you doing?"I ask as soon as she steps through the door. She laughs and hugs me.

"I invited the neighbors over for dinner tonight." She smiles and ruffles my hair. "A girl about your age might be coming over. Her name's Beca and she's really pretty." She wiggles her eyebrows and I cringe.

"You did not just do that,"I laugh, loving my mom more than ever. "Should we be doing that since we're not done unpacking?"

"If we get to work, there won't be any boxes left." I sigh, getting the hint and tackling the rest of the boxes. I wonder what Beca looks like. Is she really pretty like my mom said or was she just joking. My mom, for some reason, wants me to find a girl. She's tried to set me up so many times, even with girls that I've specifically told her that I don't like. I've only dated a few girls since I came out, but each of them had one specific trait. They were funny. I want somebody who makes me laugh even when I'm sad.

"We're home,"Jesse calls out, seeming much happier then he did this morning.

"You seem happy,"I comment, surprised when Jesse blushes. "Oh my goodness. It's a girl. Already, you dawg." I punch him playfully and continue to tease him as we set the table. My mom starts cooking, using Jesse and I as her slaves and having us fetch her ingredients. I groan, practically drooling over the food. My mom's cooking is the best.

"The food's done,"she announces. "Go get washed up while we wait for Beca." I run upstairs and put on a black, strapless dress that stops just above my knee.

"Look who's all dressed up,"Jesse teases when I come downstairs, and I deny it. He raises his eyebrows, knowing that I'm lying. I shrug. So what if I want to make a good first impression on Beca. It's not like I'm going to date her. Maybe. I don't even know what she looks like. She's probably not even pretty. The doorbell rings and I take a shaky breath, nervous.

"Hi,"my mom says, letting Beca in. My dad moves, allowing me to get a good look at Beca. Holy shit, she's hot.


	3. Chapter 3

Beca's POV

I quickly get out of my work clothes and into a pair of jeans and one of my nicest T-shirts. This is literally the nicest clothing that I can afford. I straighten my hair and walk over to the neighbor's house. I knock on their door, able to smell the delicious food from the porch.

Mrs. Beale opens the door and lets me in. I spot a boy with dark hair and brown eyes. A man that looks just like the boy is standing in front of me and he moves to the side. It's like everything slows down when I see her. She's wearing a black, strapless dress that hugs all her curves, leaving just enough to the imagination. And boy do I imagine. She has flaming red hair and blue eyes that shine. My pulse immediately starts racing and it's like all of the oxygen is sucked out of me.

"..and this is Chloe,"Mrs. Beale says, jerking me out of the trance that I was in.

"Hi,"Chloe says, holding out her hand to shake mine. I grip her hand and several shocks zip up my arm and throughout the rest of my body.

"I'm Beca,"I introduce myself and Chloe smiles. We head into the dining room on the left and sit at the table where food lays out. There's so much. This is more than I eat in a month, maybe more. Chloe is across from me, where I sit in between Mrs. Beale and Jesse. Mr. Beale sits at the head of the table and I meet his gaze. I can see disapproval as he stares at my earrings. Self consciously, I reach up and touch them. They were a special gift from Stacie for my 16th birthday. My mom hates them so it's like a big 'screw you' to her. I wear them around her any chance that I get.

"So, what grade are you in, Beca?"Mr. Beale asks.

"11. I just turned 17." He nods.

"Do you get good grades?" I swallow, not sure how to answer. This seems like a test. For what, I don't know.

"I try my hardest,"I say, evading the question as much as I can.

"Chloe here gets straight A's year round,"he boasts and I look down. If he only knew why I had such a hard time getting good grades. It's something that I don't mention. Everybody just thinks that I slack off, but I try. Really hard. I just can't read very well.

"Tell us about your family,"Chloe's mom says, changing the subject. I thank her with my eyes and take a bite before speaking.

"Well, my dad's not in the picture and my mom works a lot. That's really all there is."

"Where's your dad?"The boy next to me asks. I try to think of his name, but I had been too distracted by Chloe that I didn't hear it.

"Jesse, that's rude,"Mrs. Beale scolds. Jesse. Duly noted.

"It's okay,"I assure her. "He left when I was 10. He had an affair with a coworker and left to start a family with her." I remember the day that the truth about the affair was brought to light. It was bad. He had the woman, Sheila, there with him and my mother started throwing anything she could get her hands on, at them. He left after that, not saying goodbye to me.

"I'm so sorry,"Chloe says, captivating me once again. "That must've been horrible."

"I was mainly confused, but then I was just...used to it I guess. He had always had a habit of leaving for weeks on end, not saying where he was going. Anyway, it's over now." We sink into a comfortable silence until Jesse speaks up, just talking about random things. Somehow, school gets brought up again. By Mr. Beale. It's like he has a problem with me, only I don't know what I did.

"Do you have any idea what you want do?"Mr. Beale narrows his eyes at me and I shrink back into my chair.

"I'm not sure."

"Any thoughts though? You have two years before you have college and have to major in something."

"I'm still thinking about it."

"Tha-"

"Chris,"Chloe's mom barks. He looks down at his plate and I put my fork down so that they don't see my hands shaking.

"I'm really sorry, Beca,"Mrs. Beale apologizes. I just stare at my plate and startle when she puts her hand on my shoulder. She jerks her hand away and I pale, scared that she'll yell at me.

"I...I'm sorry,"I stutter.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have put my hand on your shoulder." I smile weakly at her and open my mouth to speak when my phone goes off. I pull out my phone and get embarrassed when I see everybody looking at it, surprised to see a flip phone. Stacie got it for me so that I can get in touch with her anytime. It's better than nothing and I wouldn't want one of the touch screen ones. They confuse me.

"Can I take this?" Mrs. Beale nods and I quickly get up, walking into the hallway.

"What mom?"

"Where the fuck are you?"She screams it and I move further away from the dining room.

"I'm having dinner at the neighbors."

"Why the hell didn't you tell me? I saw the two kids that they have. Are you screwing the neighbors kids?" She cackles. "Oh my god. My daughter's a slut." Tears spring to my eyes and I quickly wipe them away.

"No,"I say, gritting my teeth. "They invited me over for dinner. That's all." She just laughs, which soon turns to coughing.

"Well, get your ass over here after your done fucking-I mean eating with the neighbors." She hangs up and I work to stop the tears. That's some of the worst things that she's ever said to me. Shaking my head, I walk back into the dining room.

"That was my mom. She wants me home." Mr. Beale smiles and urges me out the door. "Thank you for having me."I yell before he shuts the door in my face. Sighing, I walk to the place I dread the most.

3rd person POV- in the Beale house

"What was that, Chris,"Katherine Beale yells at her husband as they get ready for bed.

"What are you talking about?" He shrugs, innocently.

"You know what? You were so mean to Beca. Why?" He stays silent and Katherine just shakes her head.

"You didn't even give her a chance."

"She doesn't seem like a good influence for Choe." Katherine's eyes widen.

"So that's it. You don't want Chloe to date her. You told me that you were okay with Chloe being gay."

"Tha...that's not the reason. You're just assuming that that's it, but..but I can tell that she's not a good person." Katherine throws her hands up in frustration.

"Really? How?"

"Did you see those..things that she had in her ears? Those themselves scream that she's a bad influence. She probably shoplifts and goes to parties instead of working to get good grades."

"Ha, I'm assuming things. You're assuming that she's not a good person. You need to give her a chance. I wouldn't have invited her over if I didn't think that she was a decent person." Chris nods, scowling.

"Fine. I'll give her a chance, but the moment that she messes up, she's out of Chloe's life. Out of this family's life. And trust me, I won't make it easy on her."

"Thank you for compromising with me." Chris just nods and turns the lamp off, crawling into bed. Katherine follows him and lays there, hoping that Beca's as a good of a person as she thinks. If not, things might get a little chaotic.

 **A/N- Sorry for the language in this chapter. It's going to continue, especially from Beca's mom. There will be some from some of the kids at school, but not as much. Also, sorry if I did bad writing in 3rd person. I've never done it before so hopefully it's okay. I'll shed some more light on the reason for Beca's bad grades later on. I promise it won't be too confusing:) Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chloe's POV

Groaning, I get up and turn off my alarm clock. First day of school. Yay! At least it's the first day of school for everybody. There has to be some other new kids, right? I put on some skinny jeans and a white blouse. I also put some light makeup on and call it good. Jesse exits his room at the same time as me. We rush out to the car that we share, fighting over who gets to drive. Bad thing about being twins. I win and off we go to school.

We pull into the parking lot and I take a deep breath before getting out of the car. I spot Beca and my heart jumps. She's wearing jeans and a t-shirt like she did at dinner, but this time she has a green jacket on. Her hair is up in a bun, though I wish it was down like the other night. I start to head her way but a tall blond jumps in front of me.

"Hi, I'm Aubrey,"she holds her hand out and I shake it. "You must be new."

"Yeah, I'm Chloe."I look past Aubrey's shoulder for Beca, but she's gone.

"I can tell that we're going to be great friends." I highly doubt that. Aubrey seems like she's one of those girls who act all fake and nice, when really she's a complete bitch. I'll give her a chance though. Maybe I'm wrong. Later at lunch, she proves that she's worse than that. I'm all upset that I haven't had a class with Beca yet, when I see her at lunch. I start to head her way when, once again, Aubrey stops me.

"Um, what are you doing?"

"Going to say hi to Beca." Aubrey sighs and she looks at her sidekicks, Jessica and Ashley.

"How do you know Beca?"Jessica asks.

"I live across the street from her." They nod sympathetically like it's a bad thing.

"Oh you poor girl. Please tell me that she hasn't caught you in her trap yet." That piques my interest.

"What do you mean?"

"She did it with the last girl who lived across from her. She pretended to be her friend, even something more and then she completely dumped her. Just stopped talking to her and then some nudes were sent of the girl anonymously. We all know it was her though. Now everybody knows she's screwing Stacie."

"Who's Stacie?"My voice cracks in the middle of it.

"The owner of Stacie's diner. She's totally hot so who wouldn't want to sleep with her. Still, Stacie's like 7 years older than her."

"Oh, can you excuse me?" They nod, giving me these fake sad smiles. I walk away and try to process what they just told me. How much of it is true? Is any of it? The only way I will find out is by asking Beca herself. I scan the cafeteria and find her sitting in the back, alone. I walk to her, noticing how everybody gives her a wide berth like she has a disease or something. She's staring very intently at her plate, like she's trying not to cry.

"What did that plate do to you?"I joke, startling her.

"Hi,"she won't look me in the eye and my eyes widen in realization. She saw me talking to Aubrey. I can't tell if no eye contact means that what Aubrey told me is true or not.

"So, I just had a very interesting conversation with Aubrey and her sidekicks."

"Okay, now here's the part where you tell me to fuck off and never talk to you again." I jerk back, surprised. I raise a eyebrow.

"No. Now here's the part were I tell you that I would never say that, to you, and that I don't want to stop talking to you." She looks at me with her beautiful grey eyes, wide with shock. "I just want to ask you a few questions and I want honest answers. Do you think you can do that?"

"Yeah, no problem. What do you want to know?"

"Who lived across from you before me and were any of them girls?"

"No, they were these 20 year olds who played loud, horrible music constantly." So Aubrey obviously lied to me. No shock there.

"Okay, are you..sleeping with Stacie?" Her face twists in disgust.

"No, that's just nasty. She's like mother to me." Relief washes over me and I prepare my last question for her.

"Why did you think that I would tell you to fuck off?" She sighs and taps her fingers on the table nervously.

"I saw you talking to Aubrey and figured that she would tell you..things about me." I nod, pursing my lips.

"She did do that. I just didn't believe her. I chose to ask you what was true and what wasn't. I'm not a big fan of spreading or listening to rumors." She smiles, the first real smile that I've seen from her.

"Thank you."

"No problem. Now, I have one more question." She licks her lips, bringing my attention to them. I force myself to look away and push all thoughts of kissing her out of my head.

"Will you, Beca..wait what's your last name?"

"Mitchell."

"Will you, Beca Mitchell, be my friend?" She chuckles, causing my body to warm all over.

"Yes." I laugh and hug her. She stiffens up, but quickly relaxes.

"Now I have to apologize for my dad being mean to you last night."

"It's no biggie,"she waves her hand, but I can see the sadness in her eyes.

"He just has a problem of girls who are my age." Her eyebrows furrow in confusion. "He doesn't approve of me being gay and anytime another girl is around, he tries to push them away."

"Oh."

"That's not a problem is it? Me being gay."

"No, not at all." I breathe a sigh of relief and wait for her to say something more. She looks uncomfortable like she doesn't know how to talk to people. She did just fine at dinner. It must be the school.

"Oh forgot to tell you. My dad is the new principal." Her face falls and I grab her hand. "As long as you don't get called to his office, you should be fine."

"That might not work out very well. I get sent to the office quite a bit."

"Why?" I really hope she's not a psycho or something.

"I have a really hard time with homework and as a result, I don't do a lot of it. The teachers send me to the principals to try and fix it. Fix me." She looks down sadly and I put my fingers under her chin, bringing her eyes to meet mine.

"I can tutor you, if you want. I do good in most subjects."

"That would be really cool." I smile and we stare into each other's eyes until the bell rings, forcing us to look away. I let out a shaky breath, not sure why Beca makes me feel the way I do.

"Well, got to get to class. Maybe we'll have one together." She nods and I walk away, happy of how my day is going so far. Now I just have to avoid Aubrey. I feel like if I were to tell her that we can't be friends, she wouldn't react very well.


	5. Chapter 5

Beca's POV

I stare at Chloe as she walks away, shocked at what just happened. She actually wants to be my friend. I grab my bag and head to math. Math isn't too hard for me. I'm actually pretty good at it, until we get to word problems which is what we're starting with. I struggle through our first assignment and sigh happily when we leave to our next class. Science. That'll be just as bad, but the teachers usually just explain how the rules work and the safety rules on the first day.

I enter the classroom and smile when I spot Chloe. She's sitting at a lab table and pats the stool next to her. I gladly sit next to her and we're about to get to talking when the teacher walks in.

"I'm Mr. Johnson but you guys can call me Mr. J. We're going to have some fun this year. Wherever you sit now is your permanent seat. If you would like to change it, then do so in the next 30 seconds. After that, you're stuck with where you are."

"You want to move?"I ask Chloe, not sure if she wants to sit next to me for the rest of the year.

"Now why would I do that? I have my friend sitting right next to me." I blush and smile, looking down at my hands.

"Now, let's get started on the lab safety rules. Yeah, I know that they suck, but if you don't want to lose a finger or an eye, then listen." I tune him out as I look at Chloe from my peripheral vision, studying her.

"You better pay attention. This is really important stuff,"she teases, smiling lightly. I turn my attention back to the teacher and can't help but notice how Chloe's watching me now.

"I want you guys to get to know your lab partner for the remainder of the hour. You better be able to tell me at least one fact about them before you leave." Mr. J walks over to his desk and sits, pulling out his phone and playing a game.

"I'll start,"Chloe states and pulls out a piece of paper. "Just in case I can't remember. Now, what's your favorite color?"

"Black." She raises an eyebrow.

"I should have expected that one. Mine's a light grey. Like your eyes. Your turn." Blushing, I think of a question.

"Um, favorite song?"

"Titanium. Yours?"

"Same actually,""I grin, glad that we have the same taste in music.

"How many people have you dated?" My eyes widen at the sudden change in questions.

"I'm not sure. Not many." I cringe at how lame I sound.

"Me too. I've dated like 4 girls since I came out and dated like 1 guy before I quickly learned that I did not like boys." I laugh and open my mouth to tell her that I've only ever dated girls, but she speaks before I can. "Your turn?"

"How many siblings? I know about Jesse but are there any others?" Tears spring to her eyes and I start to panic, not sure what I said wrong. "Um, sorry for asking. I can ask a different one."

"No, it's okay. I did have another brother. Nathan. He died a year ago." I look at her sadly, not sure what to say since I'm not good with this stuff.

"I'm really sorry. I've never lost anyone so I don't know what it's like, but I really am sorry." She smiles at me, wiping her tears away.

"Thank you. Usually people say sorry just because it's the right thing to say, but I can tell that you mean it. Now what about you?"

"No. Not unless you count the children that my dad has with Sheila."

"If you don't see him at all, then I wouldn't. What's it like being an only child?"

"It's alright. I have a lot of freedom so.." I think that Chloe can tell how uncomfortable I am about that subject because she asks another question.

"What's your dream date?" I shrug, not sure. "I'll tell you mine while you think about it. I want a girl to just spring it on me. Not telling me what they have planned and then to bring me to our spot, if we have one. There would be a picnic layed out and we would just talk until the sun sets. Then we would end our night by having the most passionate kiss. One that sweeps me off of my feet. Now your turn." I open my mouth ready to tell her that I don't have one, but that's not what comes out at all.

"I'd want to just be able to hang out with the girl that I love. If I had to pick a place, it would probably be this spot in the forest near my house. I go there when I need to think. I would just want to talk about anything and not have to worry about being judged. I would put on music and we could just dance, not a care in the world. I would just like to have a night with no worries with the girl that makes me happy." I blush as Chloe just stares at me.

"Who knew that Beca Mitchell could be romantic." I blush even harder and she grins. "That's a good dream date. Now your turn." The teacher speaks before I can though.

"Okay, times up. Everybody grab your bags and tell me one fact about your partner before you leave." People rush to get up and the line actually goes by quicker then I thought it would.

"Who's your partner?"Mr. J asks me when we reach the top of the line and I tell him. "One fact."

"Chloe's favorite color is apparently my eyes." Chloe blushes and it makes me happy that I can do that to her.

"Okay, that's a different one I've never heard before. Now, for your fact." He turns to Chloe and she grins. Oh no.

"Beca is a lot different then she lets people think. She's not as badass." Mr. J laughs and dismisses us, letting Chloe get away with cursing.

"What class are you heading to now?"I ask Chloe and she grabs her schedule.

"English, Ms. Junk"Chloe snorts and I hold in a laugh.

"Me too." We walk together to the class that I dread the most. We sit next to each other and I groan when I see Aubrey.

"Oh man,"Chloe says. "Just ignore her." I do exactly that but it's hard because Aubrey is staring daggers at me. If looks could kill, I'd be dead and Aubrey would be on trial for murder.

"Hello,"Ms. Junk calls out and I'm shocked at how young she is. She must've just finished college. "I'm Ms. Junk, which I know, is a really crappy last name so I would like it if you guys called me Ms. Emily instead." We all nod and she proceeds to explain our homework assignment. We just have to fill out a survey about ourselves which I know should be easy, but for me, it's not. For the rest of the hour, I struggle to read the first question. The letters just mix together and look gibberish to me and they seem to float off of the page. A pounding headache sets in and I shove the paper in my bag, setting my head on the desk.

Someone taps on my shoulder and I look over to see a concerned Chloe.

"Are you okay?"She mouths, not wanting to get the teacher's attention. I nod and watch the clock, wanting it to hit 3:00 so bad. It does and I quickly exit the classroom, stopping to wait for Chloe by the door.

"Are you sure you're okay?"She asks when she reaches me.

"Yeah, just a headache." She nods, satisfied with that answer and we walk out of the school.

"Do you want to come over?" I think about it, but realize that I have to work.

"I have to work. Sorry." She nods, understanding. "Maybe this weekend. You can tutor me."

"That would be great. Can I have your number?" I give it to her and she runs to the car that her brother got into and had started to honk the horn. I laugh as she punches him on the shoulder and she turns to wave goodbye before shutting the car door, leaving me alone. I rush to work, looking forward to school tomorrow. That's a first.


	6. Chapter 6

Chloe's POV

"So how was your day?"I ask Jesse and he just shrugs.

"Yours?"

"Very eventful,"I tell him, smiling at the thought of Beca. When she said that her dream date is with a girl, I wanted to scream out in joy. Jesse raises an eyebrow and pulls into the driveway, almost crashing into our mailbox.

"This is why I drive." He just laughs and gets out of the car. I follow him inside the house and get bombarded with questions from my mom. Jesse escapes to his room, that lucky dawg.

"You make any friends?"

"Yeah. I was going to be friends with this girl before I realized what a bitch she is."

"Chloe, language,"my mom yells but she laughs soon after. "What did she do?"

"She spread rumors about Beca and really thought that I would believe them."

"What were the rumors?" I scowl at the thought of Aubrey, not happy that she picks on Beca.

"She told me that she dated the last girl who lived here and then dumped her. Then she said that Beca sent out nudes of this girl." My mom's eyes widen and I grab her hand.

"A girl didn't even live here. They were all annoying 20 year olds." She looks at me, expecting me to continue so I do. "Aubrey also said that she's sleeping with the woman who owns the diner and that she doesn't blame Beca if she does. Apparently, Stacie is hot."

"Oh. Those are horrible. What do you say to going to this diner and scoping out the owner. I know that Beca didn't do anything with her, but I want to see what's the big deal about this Stacie." I laugh and follow my mom out the door.

"You just want food."

"True dat,"she shouts and we go to the diner. "Where do you want to sit?" I point to a booth in the corner and sit across from my mom. We talk for a little bit and my mom's showing me pictures of the shop when someone comes to take our order.

"What can I get you today?"The woman asks and I look up, my jaw dropping open. I read Stacie on her name tag and instantly know what Aubrey was talking about. She's beautiful. Her brown hair falls off of her shoulders perfectly and her blue eyes stand out from her fair skin. She's beautiful but not in the same way as Beca. Stacie's more of an elegant beauty and she knows it whereas Beca is beautiful in a hidden way. She has no idea how beautiful she really is and it really shows in the moments that she can truly be herself.

"I'll just take a sweet tea and some apple pie,"my mom tells her, acting like she wasn't staring at Stacie just seconds ago. Stacie turns to me and I order the same as my mom. She nods and leaves to go get our food.

"Wow,"my mom says. "If I wasn't married to your dad and straight…..."

"Ew,"I laugh and she joins in. Our plates are set down and my head jerks up at the voice that speaks.

"Here you go,"Beca says and she smiles when I meet her eyes. "Hey Chloe."

"Hey, I didn't know you worked here." She nods and someone yells to her from the kitchen.

"I have to go,"she tells me and I try not to let my disappointment show.

"You should come over again sometime,"my mom tells her.

"I will this weekend. Chloe's tutoring me." My mom smiles and Beca leaves, oblivious to me watching her until she disappears into the back.

"Were you checking out her butt?" My mom asks and I blush.

"No,"I protest and she raises an eyebrow. "Well, it's a very nice butt." We both burst out laughing and continue talking about random topics until we have to leave. I look for Beca, wanting to say goodbye, but don't find her so I sadly leave.

…

Several hours later, I'm eating dinner, trying to be quiet. I don't want to have to deal with my dad's complaints about Beca.

"How was your first day?"He asks me and I just shrug. He frowns and turns his attention over to Jesse.

"Did you see that girl that we saw the other day?"I perk up and open my mouth to tease Jesse when I get a glare from my dad. He obviously doesn't want me doing that.

"Yeah,"Jesse beams. "She's in a lot of my classes. We don't have lunch together though."

"What's her name?"I ask and he scowls.

"You wouldn't know her. She's really popular."

"Jesse,"my mom shouts. "That was rude."

"Sorry, but it's true. She like, rules the school."

"Try me,"I challenge and cringe when I hear his next words.

"Her name is Aubrey Posen."

Beca's POV

I head home after being at work for several hours. The only highlight of work was getting to see Chloe. She somehow made the diner seem brighter and I actually had fun. Chloe's laugh is so contagious, I could barely keep a smile off of my face. Stacie kept giving me weird looks and I could tell she wanted to talk, but I left before she could. She'll probably grill me on who Chloe is and I don't want to deal with that right now. I love Stacie but she can be a handful sometimes.

I walk into my house, making sure to be as quiet as I can. My mom is sprawled out on the couch, snoring very loudly. I take this moment to my advantage to grab some food. She likes to try and keep me from eating, saying that she pays for everything and I have to earn it. Or some shit like that.

My head smacks the fridge door all of a sudden and my hair is being pulled, making it feel like it's on fire.

"What the fuck are you doing?"She screams and slaps me across the face. "Go to your room."

"Sorry,"I yell back, earning another slap.

"I didn't say you could talk to me, you little bitch. Get your ass to your room." I nod and run upstairs, slamming my door behind me. I look in my mirror and spot a bruise forming on my forehead. Oh great. My phone goes off and I see that it's Chloe. For the next 30 minutes I work on reading her text.

 **Chloe- It was great getting to see you earlier, even though we saw each other like an hour before that!**

Smiling, I slowly type in a response.

 **Me- I liked seeing you too.**

I blush as I text this, not sure why I'm so forward with her. I'm not usually like this but with her, I feel like I can be myself.

 **Chloe-Good night! Can't wait to see you tomorrow.**

My heart swells with joy and I set my phone down before going to bed, excited to see Chloe tomorrow. What is this girl doing to me?


	7. Chapter 7

Beca's POV

Wiping my hands on my jeans, I ring Chloe's doorbell. This is the second time I've been here and I'm afraid that her dad's going to start drilling me again.

"Hey,"Jesse says, opening the door. "She's upstairs so just head on up there." I nod and rush past him, knowing that he doesn't like me. When Chloe told me that he likes Aubrey, I shrugged it off like it was no big deal, but really, it scares me. Jesse's listening to Aubrey's rumors about me and now two of Chloe's family members hate me. I knock on Chloe's door and she yells for me to come in.

"Hi,"I say shyly, studying Chloe's room. The walls are a bright blue and it's all very neat. Her bed is completely pink.

"Nice room,"I tease and Chloe blushes.

"I really like pink and the walls were like this when we moved in."

"I like it."Chloe raises her eyebrows. "No, I really like it. It's….sweet. Like cotton candy." She laughs and throws a pillow at me which I catch and throw back.

"Now, come on. It's time to work." Obeying, I walk over and sit next to her on her bed. I pull out my science homework that kept building up during the week and we get to work. I was worried that she would find out about me not being able to read, but she ends up just reading out loud for us. The only problem is writing it down. I squint in concentration as we write down each answer.

"I can practically see the smoke coming out of your ears,"Chloe comments 20 minutes after we start. I smile and go back to writing the answer. We're only on question 5 since I take such a long time writing it.

"Sorry, I want to write nice. I have really bad handwriting." Chloe just shakes her head, assuring me that it's okay and reads the next question out loud.

"How's it going girls?"Mrs. Beale asks, poking her head in the door. Chloe gives her thumbs up and scans the science book for the answer. I try my hardest to read and find the answer so that Chloe doesn't think that I'm letting her do all the hard work, but I can't do it and a headache starts to set in. Stacie is the only one who knows that I have a hard time reading, but she's always too busy with the diner and all, to help me. It's totally okay though because I understand. All I have to do is deliver the food and even that can sometimes be crazy especially during rush hour. I can't even imagine how hard it is to run the diner.

I start massaging my temple, trying to get the massage to go away. It works for a couple of minutes, but my headache just comes back with a vengeance.

"Do you need a break?"Chloe asks and I panic thinking that she knows, but that quickly stops with what she says next. "Because I surely do. Come on. Let's go raid the fridge." I nod and laugh when she takes my hand, dragging me downstairs. Chloe's mom is sitting at the island, typing on a laptop.

"You guys all done?"She looks up, a huge smile on her face.

"No, we just needed a break."Chloe walks over to the fridge and starts pulling out random stuff. "What sounds good Beca?" I just shrug and she grabs a plate.

"Nachos it is then." Jesse comes in and sits next to his mom as Chloe starts to make the nachos, leaving me just standing there awkwardly. Jesse glares at me and I frown, not sure what Aubrey told him. Aubrey's told so many rumors about me over the years that I eventually lost track.

"Let's go,"Chloe says, holding a steaming plate of nachos and we go back up to her room. We sit across from each other on her bed, sharing the nachos. Chloe looks like she's lost in her own little world and I can't help but wonder what she's thinking.

"Got a lot on your mind?"

"Can I ask you a question?"She says suddenly and I nod, not sure if I should be nervous or not. "Why does Aubrey hate you so much?" Oh.

"I…"

"You don't have to answer,"Chloe reassures and I shake my head.

"No, it's fine. Aubrey and I used to be great friends actually." Chloe's eyes widen and I continue. "It all happened so quickly. One day, we're making plans to go to the movies and the next, she wouldn't talk to me."

"What happened?"

"I found out later that her boyfriend at the time liked me and when I turned him down, he made up this elaborate story about me sleeping with him. She freaked out and chose to believe him instead of her best friend."

"That's horrible,"Chloe states, putting her hand on my arm, sending shocks all throughout my body. A comfortable silence settles around us until Chloe speaks.

"I'm sorry but I just can't see you being friends with her. She's such a bitch while your-"She stops and looks away. Making a bold move, I grab her chin gently and make her look at me.

"I'm what?" She sighs and I can't help but watch her lips as she speaks.

"You're so quiet and sweet. The exact opposite of Aubrey." I blush and we stare into each other's eyes. I lean forward and our lips are so close to touching when the door crashes open, causing me to flinch and throw myself against the wall.

"CHLOE,"her dad yells and I hear footsteps running up the stairs. Her mom appears, looking very confused.

"What's going on?" She asks and Chloe's dad glares at me.

"They were kissing and probably about to have sex."

"Da-"

"Shut it, Chloe,"her dad screams and I flinch, hard. "You, out." He points at me and when I don't get up immediately, he comes over and grabs the back of my shirt, dragging me. Chloe starts screaming bloody murder and I work hard to keep up with her dad.

"Chris, what the hell?"Mrs. Beale screams and Jesse watches me from the living room, smirking.

"You will never set foot in this house again or go near my daughter."He literally throws me out, causing me to stumble and fall face first. I hear a door slam from across the street and suddenly, my mom comes over.

"What are you doing to my daughter?"She puts her hands on her hips and Mr. Beale backs down. Chloe comes over and crouches next to me.

"Are you okay?"I nod, wiping the blood off of my mouth and Mr. Beale starts up again. This time, he grabs Chloe and yanks her up, almost popping her arm out of socket. Mrs. Beale screams at him again and pulls Chloe to her. My mom pulls me up and starts playing the worried mother. She starts leading me to our house and I look back at Chloe and find her doing the same.

"Sorry,"she mouths and I just give her a weak smile and nod. My mom brings me inside and sits me down while she grabs an ice pack. I frown and wonder if this is real.

"Here,"she sets the ice on my fat lip and starts to wipe the blood away. "What. The. Hell?"She slaps my cheek and all signs of the doting mother is gone. "Go to your room now and if I see you talking to that girl again, I will kill you." I nod and scramble up to my room, tears streaming down my face. She can call me words and hit me all she wants. But she cannot take me away from Chloe.


	8. Chapter 8

Chloe's POV

I sit on the couch with my head in my hands, trying not to scream at my father. My mom and him are currently yelling at each other and it takes me back to before Nathan's death

 **Flashback**

"It's okay, Chlo,"Nathan says, rocking me as I bawl my eyes out. I'm only 9 and yet I'm scared for my life. Nathan's only 14 and yet he has to take care of me while our parents scream at each other. Why is this happening to us? Jesse just huddles in the corner playing his video game.

"Are they going to get a divorce?"I ask and Nathan looks confused.

"How do you know what that is?" I point to Jesse.

"He's always talking about it at school with our friends." Nathan sighs and cups my face, kissing my forehead.

"I don't know if they're going to get a divorce. I do know that no matter what happens, I'll be right here by your side."

"Forever and ever?"Nathan laughs and nods.

"Forever and ever."

 **End of Flashback**

Nathan was always there for me when I needed him. It hurts so much now that he's gone. My heart feels like it's going to burst if I don't get some air so I tell my parents that I'm going for a walk. They just look at me before continuing to scream at each other. I head down the street and start walking the path in the forest.

"Chloe,"Beca yells, startling me. I cringe when I see her split lip.

"I'm so sorry,"I apologize and she shakes her head, taking my hand in hers.

"It's okay. It was nothing new." She pales and I open my mouth to ask her what she means, but she speaks before I can. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah,"I sigh. "I just needed some air. They're screaming at each other." She nods sympathetically and veers off the path. I follow her, trusting her enough not to get us lost. I gasp when I see the waterfall. It cascades into a beautiful crystal, clear pond. Beca takes off her shoes and sits at the edge, dangling her feet in the water. I join her and we sit in silence for a little bit before she speaks.

"How bad is it?"

"It's not too bad. They're screaming at each other, but they used to do that all the time." Beca looks over at me, urging me to continue. "They would go at it for hours on end for the littlest thing. One time it was about who put the remote on the coffee table instead of the TV stand. Jesse would just play a game or something while they fought, but it always scared me. Nathan was there to help me get through it. After he died, they stopped. Probably, just holding it together for us."

"It must be hard. Without Nathan." I nod and she puts her hand on my shoulder. "I can't even imagine what it's like to lose someone."

"Well, you lost your dad."

"That's different. How do you lose someone who was never really there?" My heart hurts as I watch her pained expression. "How did Nathan die?" I suck in a breath and let the tears that I didn't know I was holding, fall.

"My father was in the military. That's what was most of the fights were about. Him never being home. As soon as Nathan could, he joined. Just to make my father happy and it worked. Until he was confirmed to be missing in action. They never found his body but we still had a funeral."

"Is there a chance that he could be alive?"

"Yeah but it's not very likely. Most soldiers who go missing, don't come back at all or if they do, it's not alive."

"I'm so sorry Chloe,"Beca says, grabbing my hand and holding tight. My phone goes off and I pull it out.

 **Mom- Your dad is spending the night at a hotel and probably won't be coming back to the house. I'm so sorry honey. I tried really hard to make this work for you, but your father and I just aren't right for each other.**

I sigh and tell Beca what she said. Beca pats my knee and I hold her hand tighter as I reply.

 **Me- It's okay, mom. I know that you tried hard and thank you for that. I won't bring Beca around until he's completely gone. Will I have to go back and forth? I don't really want to.**

 **Mom- Of course not. I know that his actions scared you and frankly, they scared me too. He might try to fight me on it, but if you don't want to, you don't have to. I love you and please don't stay out too late.**

 **Me- Love you too, mom. I'll be back soon.**

I put my phone up and Beca and I sit in silence. Suddenly, she turns toward me.

"I know that this is probably not the right time, but I really want to do this." I look at her confused when she suddenly kisses me. It's like everything snaps into place. Like I had a missing piece to a puzzle and she's it. We break apart, gasping for breath.

"That was…"I start, speechless.

"Was it okay? I should've waited. It wasn't the right time. You were vulnerable and I took advantage of that. I-"

"Beca,"I shout, interrupting her. "I like it. A lot." She beams and I kiss her again.

"What does this mean for us?"Beca asks as she drops me off at my house.

"What do you want it to mean?"

"I...I don't know. I really like you but if you don't want to be something more than friends, then I'm okay with that."

"Are you really?" She stares at me before laughing.

"No. Not at all."

"So ask me the damn question." She smiles and grabs my hands.

"Chloe Beale,"she says, making me smile at her adding my last name like I did that first day of school. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

"Yes." And we kiss until it's time to say goodnight. I shut the door behind me and lean up against it.

"She's just going to hurt you,"Jesse says, coming out from the shadows.

"Jesus, you almost gave me a heart attack. Give a girl a warning first." I clutch my chest and Jesse scowls.

"She's a slut and is just playing with you."

"Don't you dare talk about Beca that way."

"It's true,"Jesse throws his hands in the air and walks away, shouting at me from over his shoulder. "You'll see." I run my hands through my hair, sighing. Beca and I will get through this. I know we will.

 **A/N- thank you guys so much for reading. I hope your enjoying it!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chloe's POV

It's been several weeks since the whole blow up with my dad and nothing has happened. Beca and I hang out constantly. At school, at my house, or in the woods. It's never in her house and I don't know why. I should probably ask her, but I just want our peace and quiet to never end. I should've known that that wouldn't happen. I walk to class, wishing that Beca is with me, but she has a different class at the moment. I round the corner and stop when I hear voices near my classroom door.

"I heard that she's been with like 50 girls."I recognize the voice as Tom, an obnoxious kid who sits behind me in math, the class that I was heading toward until I heard them.

"No way,"another voice pipes up and I realize that it's Benji, a friend of Jesse's. People rush past me and I strain to hear them.

"Yeah, it shouldn't surprise you though. It's Beca, the world's biggest slut. First, she's with Stacie who's several years older and now she's with Chloe."

"Chloe's hot,"Benji remarks. "Both of them are. If only they weren't gay."

"I wouldn't fuck Chloe though. She seems like she would be hard to get and she's Jesse's sister. Beca on the other hand is easy from what I've heard." That's the last straw. I clench my fists, trying to control my anger as I walk up to them.

"You better shut the fuck up,"I growl and they laugh.

"Or what?"Tom yells, cracking up and all I see is red.

"Or this!"I pull my arm back and before he can react, I punch him in the nose. Blood starts squirting everywhere and I turn my attention to Benji, who decided to come after me.

"You bitch,"he screams as I kick him where the sun don't shine. He groans and Tom surprises me by coming up behind me and holding me still.

"Get her,"Tom screams and Benji punches me several times in the face and stomach. When he stops, I slam my head backward, hearing a crunch as I make contact with Tom's nose. He screams and I spot Beca running down the hall, toward us. Tom goes to hit me again but is suddenly knocked down by a tiny fist. Beca grabs my hand and pulls me away from the fight. We go outside and Beca holds her hand out.

"Keys."I obey and we get into the car, tension so thick you can practically see it. We remain silent until she parks in her driveway.

"Let me make sure my mom's gone,"she says before disappearing into her house. She comes back 5 minutes later and we head inside. I'm kind of nervous since she's never let me inside before. On the left is the living room which contains a ratted couch and chair. A old Tv is also in there. On the right is the small kitchen and dining room. There's no table in the dining room though. It's just empty. She pulls me up the stairs and into her room. The walls are gray and everything else is black which doesn't surprise me. She pulls me down onto the bed and grabs a first aid kit, opening it and cleaning my wounds.

"I'm sorry,"I say and she doesn't answer which irritates me. "Come on Beca. They were saying mean things about you and I couldn't just let them stand there and keep doing it."

"I don't need you taking care of my fights."Beca looks up, fury and sadness lighting up her eyes. "I've been able to deal with them for several years and I don't need you coming in and playing hero."

"Really?"I scoff. "You don't deal with the problems. You just hide from them."

"I don't hide from my problems."I raise an eyebrow and she sighs, getting to work on my bruised knuckles. "Fine, I do but I do it so I don't cause an even bigger mess. I don't need you fighting my battles for me."

"Beca, look at me."She listens and I cup her face. "Even if I were to promise not to stand up for you, I wouldn't be able to do it. I couldn't just stand there and let them talk bad about you. You mean too much to me for me to do that." Her eyes water and I kiss her forehead.

"Thank you,"she says and I nod, resting my chin on her head.

"I've never been in your house before,"I say after a couple minutes and she pulls away. I try not to look hurt at how distant she is all of a sudden.

"Beca, did I say something wrong?" She turns around, a fake smile plastered on her face.

"No, I was just thinking about how badass you looked beating up those guys." Her smile turns into a sexy smirk and she slowly walks toward me. "Have I ever told how lucky I am to have you?"

I think about it for a second. "No, I don't think so." She straddles my waist, pushing me back onto the bed.

"I'm so lucky to have you, Chloe Beale."She whispers in my ear and starts to kiss me. Our moment is ruined when I hear car park. Beca looks out the window and starts to panic.

"Shit."Beca looks at me and pulls me into a standing position. "My mom's here."


	10. Chapter 10

Beca's POV

"Oh, I can't wait to meet her." Chloe stops for a second, noting my panic stricken face before tears spring to her eyes. "Do you not want me to meet your mom?"

"It's just that….we're not in school. She won't be very happy about that."

"If we just explain it to her, it'll be fine." I nod, not wanting to let her know about the bad relationship I have with my mom. We head downstairs, just as my mom comes through the door. I can see her put her mask on as soon as she sees Chloe.

"Hi, I'm guessing it's your car in the driveway?"Chloe nods and my mom continues. "Why aren't you guys at school? Does it have something to do with why you're beaten up?"

"These guys were saying some bad stuff about Beca and I got into a fight with them."

"And you are?"

"Chloe Beale. I live across the street." My mom nods and I stay speechless, not wanting to make anything more complicated.

"Beca, why don't you take Chloe home. I'm sure her mom will want to know what happened and to take her to get checked out." Choe and I both nod and I lead her to the front door.

"It was nice to meet you Ms. Mitchell,"Chloe calls and I can see my mom tensing up at the mention of my dads last name. She's always like that but she won't get it changed. She says that it's because she wants to have a reminder of why guys are not worth it. I think that she's just too lazy. I walk Chloe to her house and her mom opens the door, letting out a gasp when she sees Chloe's face.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up."Chloe gets herded into the house and I just stand there, knowing that I need to go back home. My eyes water as I think about the screaming lecture I'm about to get. Hanging my head, I go back to my house, getting bombarded as soon as I shut the door.

"Explain,"my mom demands and I tell her the truth, but she just shakes her head. "No, explain why you thought it was okay to bring somebody into my house. I've told you that nobody but my friends are allowed here."

"Sorry, I wanted to help Chloe an-" I get cut off by a slap to the face.

"What did I say I would do to you if I saw you talking to that girl again?" My eyes widen in fear and she smiles. "That's right. I won't kill you today, but you need to learn to listen to your mother."

"You're not my mother. You just pretend to be. I'm the one who pays for this house and the food and everything else. So you can just shut up because I'm sick of hearing all of your bullshit." Oh crap, what did I just do? My mom goes ballistic, punching me and screaming, calling me names. You would think that I could fight her off, but my mom's not small like me. She's a few feet taller than me and has more of a stocky build. Eventually, she stops and I run to my room, ignoring the pain.

Cleaning myself up, I cover the bruises with makeup and head to work. The moment I see Stacie, I'm compelled to tell her the truth, just like I am when I'm around Chloe, but I don't. I don't want to get ripped away to the foster care system when I'll be 18 in a couple of months. Okay, I have about 10 months before I turn 18, but still. I put up with her this long and I can keep doing it until I can move out. Everything will be fine until then, right?

Chloe's POV

My mom leads me into the bathroom and starts to grab some first aid supplies.

"Mom, Beca already did this." My mom stops and looks at me, confusion all over her face.

"How would she know what to do? Does she take some kind of medical class?" I shake my head and my mom continues to rummage through the medical cabinet. "I'm sorry, I just can't trust that she's knows what to do. Now, sit down." I listen and sit on the toilet seat. My mom comes over and just as she is about to start, she freezes. She looks closer at the small cut on my forehead that Beca had bandaged and then at my knuckles.

"These are all bandaged perfectly like she's done this before."My mom looks at me questionaly and I shrug.

"I'm just as confused as you are." She puts the first aid back and we go to the kitchen. I sit on a stool at the island as my mom makes some tea for us. She sits across from me and I take a sip of my hot tea, careful not to burn my mouth.

"So, can you tell me what happened?"

"Some guys were saying some really bad stuff about Beca and I told them to stop and when they didn't…"I trail off, gesturing to my face and my hands. My mom sighs.

"Chloe, this isn't like you. Starting fights over some girl."

"She isn't just some girl mom. She's…"I hang my head, not sure how to explain it to her.

"I can't let you keep doing this to yourself."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I start to panic, knowing what she's going for.

"I don't know if you should be around Beca anymore." I start to yell and my mom grabs my hand, calming me. "If you can give me a good reason to stay with Beca, then I'll let this continue. If not, then you can't be with her anymore. Be real careful how you answer because I need a really good reason." I nod and stare at my tea, thinking hard.

"I know that a lot has happened with her,"I say, looking my mom in the eye. "But she makes me happy. After Nathan's death, I felt like a part of me died but when I met Beca, it's like everything just clicked. Like I had been missing something my whole life and I finally found it. I know that I'm only in high school and it's ridiculous to feel this way, but Beca makes a better person. I want to make her happy and it hurts me when she hurts. I've never felt this before and I couldn't just stand there and let people talk bad about her. She lets them walk all over her and was actually mad at me for standing up for her. I know that some bad things have happened since she came into the picture, but bad things had already happened. It's not her fault that you and dad split. That was already coming and it's not her fault that I took the initiative to stand up for her. There's just something about her that makes me want to do that stuff. That makes me feel alive."

I finish my speech and my mom wipes her eyes.

"Okay, you can still see her, but I have one condition."I nod, going along with anything to stay with Beca. "I want her mom to come over for dinner. We need to properly meet."

"I can try but Beca might not like that. I actually saw her house for the first time today. I'll tell her that it's the only way that we can be together." My mom nods and we hug.

"I love you, Chloe."

"I love you too mom,"I say, truly happy to have someone so awesome in my life. I miss Nathan so much because he was like my best friend, but my mom has come a long way since his death. She took over his role as a friend, knowing that I need someone like that. We hug again and I spot Jesse glaring at me from over her shoulder. He mouths, just wait, and then walks away. Just wait for what?


	11. Chapter 11

Chloe's POV

The next day, I head to mine and Beca's spot in the woods, hoping that I'll find her there since she isn't answering her phone. I sigh in relief when I see her dangling her feet in the water.

"Beca,"I say, startling her. "Sorry, you weren't answering your phone." I sit next to her and she continues to stare out at the water.

"Beca, are you okay?" She just continues to stay silent and I touch her shoulder. She flinches and jerks away.

"Sorry, I'm just on edge." I nod and grab her hand and she lets me. "My mom wasn't very happy about me leaving school."

"I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for. If anything, I should apologizing." I look over at her, confused. "I should've stood up for myself a long time ago."

"The good thing is that you're doing that now. I have to get home. You want to come over and hang out for a bit. We can work on our homework."

"Is that okay? I mean, with your mom and all. Is she still okay with me and everything?" I smile, my cut stinging, thinking back to our conversation last night and nod.

"She's completely fine with it. She's not even at the house. The shop finally opened so she's working there today." She nods and I get up, offering my hand to her. She takes it and grunts in pain when I pull.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just took a nasty fall this morning." I just brush it off as her being clumsy and we walk to my house. I pray that Jesse's not here and walk inside. My prayers are answered when I don't get an answer when I call out. We go up to my room and I instantly flop down on my bed, patting the spot next to me for Beca. She lays down beside me and we just stay there, not speaking.

"Can I ask you a question?"I ask her and she slowly nods. "How did you know how to bandage me up?" I can see her instantly stiffen up and I put my hand on her shoulder.

"You don't have to answer right now, but I would like to know it in the future."

"Thank you. What time is it?" I look at the clock and tell her. "I have to go to work on a couple of minutes."

"How is it working there?" My mom wants me to work at her shop, but I don't really like that idea. Maybe I can get a job at the diner.

"I like it. Stacie is really nice and so are the rest of the employees. Why?"

"I'm thinking of getting a job." She smiles for the first time that day.

"If you come with me, I'm sure we can work something out with Stacie." I nod and we head out of the house. Beca goes straight to the car, confusing me.

"Don't you have to go get your work uniform?"I gesture to her house and she shakes her head.

"I keep an extra at the diner." I just frown and get into the driver's seat. Why wouldn't she just go grab it real quick and why keep an extra uniform at the diner? Maybe she doesn't want to go home. We get to the diner and I grab ahold of Beca's hand as we exit the car and head in.

"Beca,"Stacie cries, coming toward us and enveloping her into a hug. Beca surprisingly let's her and even hugs her back. Jealousy starts to stir in my stomach, but I push it down. Beca doesn't like her like that, right?

Beca's POV

I hug Stacie, all my bruises that my mom so graciously gave me, protesting and lead her and Chloe into the back.

"Stacie, I was wondering if you could hire Chloe? I can vouch for her." Stacie studies Chloe for a second before throwing an apron at her.

"We'll give you a trial run and depending on how you do, we'll get your information later." Chloe nods and I grab her a uniform, gesturing for her to go and put it on. She comes out with it on and her hair put up. Butterflies stir in my stomach and I hand her pen and a little notebook, letting our hands brush, warmth spreading everywhere throughout my body.

"Come on, I'll show you the ropes." She nods and follows me out the quickly filling diner. "When you write down an order, hand it to one of the cooks and if they're busy, set it on the counter and call it out to them." She nods again.

"Is that it?"

"No, I mainly do the delivering but if it gets too busy, then I'll need your help."

"I got this." She gives me a thumbs up and gets to work. For the next several hours, we work, Chloe only needing help a few times. I laugh when her eyes widen at how much I'm carrying. I have 5 trays full of plates and bowls of food, having a lot of practice from the few years that I've worked here. She stops in her tracks and accidently trips another server which causes their trays to go flying and all over one table. I, trying my hardest not to laugh, apologize to them and give them a few free meals. They seem satisfied with that and I sigh in relief, glad to not have lost a customer.

"Sorry,"Chloe apologizes, covering her red face. I grab her hands and kiss her forehead.

"It was an accident. I've done it several times before." She smiles and we get back to work. Finally, our shift is over and I bring Chloe into Stacie's little office. Stacie has her arms crossed and a scowl on her face when we walk in. I can hear Chloe audibly gulp and try not to smile, knowing what Stacie is doing.

"You got several orders wrong and tripped a server forcing me to give the family free meals,"Stacie says with a raised voice.

"I'm so sorry. It won't happen again." Stacie glares for a second before beaming.

"You actually did better than most do on their first day." Chloe slowly smiles, realizing that Stacie was messing with her. "After Beca's first day, it looked like a tornado hit the diner." I playfully slap Stacie and she grabs some papers for Chloe to fill out. As Chloe does that, Stacie takes me to the side.

"You seem to like her,"Stacie states, raising an eyebrow.

"We're dating and I do like her. A lot."

"What happened to her face?" I cringe and tell Stacie the story. By the time I'm done, so is Chloe and just as we're leaving, Stacie stops me.

"She's a keeper,"Stacie says, winking. I blush and run after Chloe. Chloe sets her uniform in the back and we start to head back to her house.

"Thank you for getting me a job." I just grab her hand and turn to look at her, when she takes a really deep breath. "Do you want to spend the night?"

"Is it too soon since the whole fight and everything?"

"I told you, my mom is completely okay with you. There was a little doubt in her mind after the fight, but I quickly fixed that. So what do you say?" I think about it for a second.

"Yeah, that would be awesome." She grins and we park at her house. "Let me run and get some stuff." She nods and I enter the house very quietly. With my mom threatening to kill me, I'm more on edge lately. I actually slept at Stacie's last night and probably would've tonight if Chloe hadn't offered for me to go to her house. I'm too afraid that my mom will kill me in my sleep and so I'll probably sleep on my roof tomorrow night, not wanting to be too much of a burden on Stacie. Or raise questions. There's this section that's flat, right above my window, so I'll just climb up there. It wouldn't be the first time. I grab my stuff and head over to Chloe's, nervous about spending the night with Chloe for the first time.


	12. Chapter 12

Beca's POV

Chloe and I go up to her room to work on homework until her mom gets home. Jesse texted saying that he's staying at a friends house tonight, thank goodness. A headache sets in about 20 minutes into working and I try not to let it show. Chloe still notices though.

"Are you okay?" I nod and turn my attention back on the english assignment that we were given. We have to write a 5 paragraph essay about anything we want as long as it's appropriate. We were given this a few days ago and so far, I've written my name. That's it.

"What'd you do yours over?"Chloe asks after she finishes. I put mine up too and try to think of a topic fast.

"The lack of good lunches at schools,"I say and Chloe nods. "What's yours over?" She smiles and I know that whatever it is, she's very passionate about it.

"I did mine over the hidden abuse in homes,"she grabs her paper and hands it to me. "You don't have to read it right now. I have another copy if you want to keep it." I nod and stick it into my bag.

"Did you know that it's abuse is actually pretty common. Most people just never say anything or if they do, people just brush it off." I gulp and look away, not trusting myself to not tell Chloe the truth. "Ms. Emily said that if we can get a person who has something to do with our essay to come and speak, then we can get some bonus. I'm working on trying and getting a victim or a police officer who has dealt with some victims, to come."

The door downstairs opens and I sigh in relief, glad that this conversation was cut off. We go downstairs and Chloe hugs her mom, almost making her drop the groceries that she's holding. I take them from her so that she can give Chloe a proper hug.

"Thank you,"she says and I nod, setting the bags on the island. "I'm ordering pizza for dinner and while we wait, we can play some board games." Chloe squeals and grabs several games. I start to panic, knowing that I'll probably have to read for most of them. I've never actually played a board game before so hopefully, I can get Chloe to help me.

"What game, Beca?"Chloe asks, all of us sitting down in a triangle on the living room floor.

"I don't know. I've never played a board game." Chloe and her mom gape at me and for the next hour, we play a game called sorry. After the pizza gets here, Mrs. Beale takes out a game with a little old man on the front.

"What's mon..op..o..lee?" They frown and I instantly realize that sounding it out loud, was a bad idea.

"Beca, can you not read this?"Chloe's mom asks. I gulp and shake my head.

"No, I can, it was just at a weird angle,"I try hard to cover up my mistake, but it doesn't work.

"Beca, why are you lying? I held it out in front of me. You could see it perfectly." I look over at Chloe, panicking bad now. Wiping my shaking, clammy hands on my pants, I stand up.

"I have to go,"I head toward the front door, but Chloe steps in front of me.

"Beca, it's okay. We just want the truth so that we can help you." Chloe grabs my hands and pulls me toward her. "I've seen how you struggle to read questions and when we did the essay earlier, I didn't see anything on your paper." I hang my head and sit on the couch in between Chloe and her mom.

"I could read the name of the game, just not very well. It sometimes takes me an hour to read just one sentence. It's like all of the letters mix and float off of the page. After a little bit, I usually have to stop because I get a headache." Chloe's mom nods and pats my knee.

"Beca, it sounds like you have dyslexia." I frown, not sure what that is. "It doesn't mean that you're not smart or anything. It's just that you have a harder time reading than some people. I have a question. How have you gotten this far in school?" I sigh and look down at my hands.

"Well, when I was younger, I was a troublemaker and my teachers just thought that I was doing it to misbehave. As I got older, teachers just started to give me detention and I was able to get good enough grades to pass, mainly by the bonus assignments." Chloe grabs my hand and squeezes.

"What about your parents?"Chloe asks and I think hard about the time when my dad still lived with us.

"My dad had started to realize that there was a problem, but he never told my mom and barely helped me. He would sit me down and get me to read, but it only lasted a few minutes because he had other things to do. When he left us, I thought that I was the reason. That I was to messed up for him to want me. Then, I realized that he just found someone else." I look up at Chloe, tears in my eyes. "My mom has never really been there, especially since my dad left. She tries really hard but is always working." I don't know why I didn't tell them about what my mom does to me. I could've but I really didn't want to take that chance. Who knows what she would do?

Chloe's POV

I struggle not to cry as Beca explains everything to us. When she gets to telling us about her mom, I can't help but feel like she's holding something back. Like there's more to it. I silently sob as I think about how hard it must be for her. How she has had to live like this for her whole life. Everybody thinking that she's just a stupid, disobedient kid. No one realizes that she's so much more than that.

"What about Stacie? I remember you saying that she's like a mother figure to you." Beca nods and smiles weakly.

"She knows that my mother is not really there for me and that I have trouble reading, but she runs the diner. She's always busy and I understand. I'm grateful though because she gave me a job and made it to where I don't have to read anything. I just serve the food."

"So that's why you weren't taking orders." Beca nods again and my mom frowns.

"Why were you at the diner while she was working?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I have a job there now. We talked to Stacie and she gave me a trial run today. Apparently, I did good enough to get hired."

"That's great but next time, tell me when you get a job." I nod and turn my attention to Beca who is dozing off. I gently shake her awake.

"Let's get you upstairs." She shakes her head and stands up. "Night mom. Love you."

"Love you too baby. Good night Beca."

"Good night, Mrs. Beale." My mom stops Beca.

"Feel free to call me Kathrine or Kat."

"Thank you,"Beca says and surprises me and my mom when she hugs her. Beca pulls away and heads up into my room. I hug my mom and follow the girl that's changed my life so much. Who makes everything seem so much better. We get dressed and lay down, Beca's head on my chest. I'm almost asleep when I hear soft sobs coming from her.

"Beca, what's wrong?"

"Sorry, I thought that you were asleep." I stroke her hair gently.

"You know that you can cry around me. I'm here for you and I want you to know that." She nods and starts to explain.

"I've just went so long with thinking that something's wrong with me and to now have a reason to why I can't read…." She trails off and stares at the ceiling.

"You know what I think?"She looks at me, an eyebrow raised. "I think that you are the smartest person I know. No matter what anyone says. I think that you're amazing and you don't even know how beautiful you are. It's kind of intimidating."

"Intimidating? I didn't know that I intimidated you." She grins.

"Not at all. Now, let me finish. You're caring and don't ever think about yourself. Beca,"I stare into her eyes, trying to build up the confidence to say this. "I know that it's only been about 6 months since we met, but I...I think that I'm falling in love with you." Silence washes over us like a tidal wave. I try and see what Beca's feeling, but her face remains emotionless. Suddenly, she beams and it lights up the whole room.

"Chloe, I think that I'm falling in love with you too." I grin and we kiss and I don't ever want to stop.

Jesse's POV

"Are you sure we should do this?"Aubrey cries and I ignore her. My mom thinks that I'm at Tom's house and who cares what Chloe thinks. As long as no one knows what I'm planning, then we're good.

"This is going to work. It has to, otherwise, we will get in so much trouble. We can go to jail." Aubrey starts to ramble and I grip her shoulders.

"It will work. We have to make Chloe see that she's not a good person. That she can do better." I turn back to the planning sheet.

"I know that Beca has done some bad stuff, but why do we have to go this far?"

"Because,"I say, stepping closer to Aubrey. "I have to be the big brother now. I have to protect Chloe because she can't watch out for herself. This is the only way to do that."

"But it'll hurt Chloe. Isn't that what you want to avoid?" I shake my head vigorously.

"I won't be hurting Chloe. I'll be saving her." I laugh and turn back to the picture of Beca and my sister. "Watch out. I'm coming for you."

 **A/N- Hey, I'm sorry I haven't posted in a little bit. Since school's coming up, I've been a little busy. When school does start, I won't be able to update as often, but I will try my best. 11th grade. Yay! Also, I don't know how common it is for abuse in homes, I just know that it happens. More then it should. I know a few people who were abused and it breaks my heart to think that some people have to go through that. I've had my own fair share of problems, but nothing like that. I.. sorry for my rambling. Any way, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I will post the next one as soon as I can!**


	13. Chapter 13

Beca's POV

A few weeks pass by and suddenly it's Christmas Eve. I sigh heavily as I pick up beer bottle after beer bottle. This Christmas will probably be like always. Me hiding out in my room as my mom has over a bunch of men, doing god knows what. I tend to sneak out and sleep on the roof during those two days, no matter how cold it is. The only difference this year is Chloe. She's out with her dad right now, but is coming over as soon as they get done with lunch. Chloe has a whole bunch of family coming tomorrow, but her dad is not invited. He's only getting lunch with Chloe and Jesse is with her mom for lunch. Somehow in all of this, Jesse chose to stay with his dad. Probably because he hates me.

The doorbell rings and I throw the bag of beer bottles to the floor and rush to get it, hoping that it's Chloe. It's Stacie, the next best thing.

"Hey, darling,"Stacie shouts, coming inside. "How are you doing?" Stacie's been on vacation for two weeks and I can't believe how much I missed her.

"I'm good. My grades are getting better and I have Chloe." Ever since Chloe's mom figured out that I have dyslexia, she's helped me so much. She found someone who specializes in that and I see him once a week. Just one meeting helped so much. I don't cry very often and when I do I try to be alone. But after I came back from that meeting, I bawled my eyes out. Chloe was at work when I came back so Chloe's mom just held me and it felt great. Different. It's been so long since my mom held me or even touched me in a motherly way, that I had forgotten how it felt. Stacie may be like a mother to me, but she doesn't have the mother hug. The one that makes you feel like you're loved and that everything's going to be alright.

"That's amazing Beca. How is Chloe?"

"She's great."I beam at Stacie and she chuckles at my enthusiasm. "She'll actually be here soon."

"To do what exactly?"Stacie wiggles her eyebrows and I playfully shove her, laughing.

"She's out with lunch with her dad and they don't have the best relationship so she'll need someone to talk to."

"Sorry, but you're not usually the person that I think of when I need to talk." I put my hand over my heart in mock hurt.

"Wow that hurts,"I laugh and then go back to being serious. "She knows that she can talk to me, no matter how unexpected that seems."

"You've changed. You were this girl who kept her head down and never let anybody in. Now, you're more social and you have a girlfriend. Like woah! I like this new Beca. She's nicer." I laugh and we hug again.

"Have you told her yet?" I look at Stacie, confused. "That you love her you, dummy. It's obvious that you do and that she loves you."I shake my head and Stacie kisses my forehead. "You better do it soon, before it's too late. I know all too well what that's like."

"What happened?" I lead her to the couch, curious because Stacie never talks about her love life.

"Well, a few years ago, when I was about your age, I was in love with a girl named Cynthia Rose. Don't looked so shocked. I'm Bi and Cynthia Rose was the person who helped me realize that. She was my everything and when we started dating, it was like I was in paradise." Tears run down her face and I put my hand on her arm, trying to comfort her. She takes a deep breath and continues.

"It was like every other day. I woke up, went to breakfast with her and then went to school. We had just began college and I wasn't quite ready to settle down with her. I loved her, I knew that for sure. I had just never said it to her. Anyway, I was leaving the university when I got a call. Cynthia was in a gas station when somebody came in to rob it. Cynthia being Cynthia, just had to save the day. She stalled the guy until the cops got there and when they did, the burglar freaked out and shot her. They said that she died instantly and that there was nothing that I could've done for her. The thing that kept running through my head was that I never told her that I loved her. Not once. You see Beca, I don't want you to make the same mistake I did." I nod and hug Stacie.

"I'm so sorry,"I say and she just kisses my cheek and stands up.

"It was a long time ago and I've moved on. I own a diner which has always been my dream. I'm friends with the best person that I've ever known." I blush at her compliment and we say goodbye. I finish cleaning and wait for Chloe. I frown when I look at the clock. She should be here by now. An hour passes and I start to freak out. I hear the doorbell ring and breathe a sigh of relief when I see Chloe's car out the window.

Chloe's POV

I groan in frustration as I wait for my dad to show up. He's an hour late. To keep my spirits up, I look at pictures of Beca. For someone whose so shy, she sure likes to steal my phone and take goofy photos. I'm so happy that she's come out of her shell more and more.

"Chloe, I'm so sorry,"my dad says as he suddenly appears, startling me. "My car broke down so Jesse had to come pick me up. Did he drop you off?"

"No, mom did." My dad nods, having no idea that Jesse and I aren't on good terms.

"Okay, I was worried that he had to make two trips here. I gave him gas money though. So, how are you?" I shrug, wanting to get this over with so that I can go see Beca. I won't really get to see her tomorrow since it's Christmas and I figure that she'll want to be with her mom. If not, then I'll invite her over to my house to meet the rest of my family.

"I got you a present,"my dad hands me a little box and I pause before opening it.

"You giving this to me isn't going to change my mind or change what happened that day."

"I know that I acted irrational bu-"

"No dad,"I interrupt. "You acted full blown crazy. Like you were a completely different person. What was up with that?"

"Chloe, ever since Nathan died, I haven't been the same. I've always had a bad temper and when he died, it just got worse. I'm working on it, I promise. Now, open your present." I stare at him for a second before taking the top off of the little box, gasping when I see what's in it. I scan the parking lot from the diner and gasp again when I see a black car with a blue bow tie on it.

"Are you serious?" He nods and I hug him. "How...I thought that Jesse brought you."

"He drove me to the dealership and then I drove here in the car. I was going to get Jesse a new one too, but he refused, saying that he loves the old car." I frown because Jesse's always complaining about how it sucks and that he wishes that he had a new one. I brush it off and say thank you one more time before heading over to Beca's. I stand there, ringing the doorbell and finally the door opens, but it's not Beca.

"What do you want?"Beca's mom growls and I look over her shoulder, hoping to spot Beca.

"Is Beca here?" She shakes her head and slams the door shut. Huh. Where could Beca be?

Aubrey's POV

"Shit, shit, shit,"I run my hands through my hair, knowing how fucked up everything just got. We nabbed Beca and brought her to a cabin in the middle of nowhere that my uncle used to own.

"Shut up, would you,"Jesse demands as he ties a unconscious Beca to the chair.

"What the hell are we going to do? I thought that you said that we were just going to rough her up a bit at her house. N..not kidnap her." Jesse stands up and shakes me, making my neck hurt like a bitch.

"I'm not going to kill her or even hurt her that bad. This is just to scare her."

"Scare her? You fucking tied her up to a..a fucking chair. How is that just scaring her?" A crazy look comes into his eyes and I flinch. I saw it from the moment I met him, whenever a sore subject came up, but I just thought that he was passionnant. Now, I'm not so sure.

"It's going to be fine. We'll have a quick chat with her and then let her go. Don't get your panties in a twist." I walk away from him, muttering 'bastard' under my breath. He laughs and grabs a set of tools from his bag.

"What are those for?"

"They're for me to know and you to find out." He cackles and suddenly stops when a whimper comes from Beca. I walk out when I see her look at me, so much hope in her eyes. I can't trust myself to not call the cops or something, but if anybody finds out, then we would be in so much trouble. I start crying when I hear Beca scream.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N- I would like to warn you. There will be some violence in this chapter. Much more than in the other's.**

Beca's POV

My head's pounding as I work hard to open my eyes. I get bad headaches from reading, but never like this. This is like a migraine times 100. The last thing I remember is seeing Chloe's car, but opening the door to Jesse and Aubrey. Something swinging towards me, pain erupting on the side of my head and then darkness. I try to reach my head but for some reason, my arm won't move. I force my eyes open and whimper when I see my hands tied behind my back.

I can hear perfectly out of my left ear but for some reason, noise is muffled in my right. I feel something crusty on my ear and when I rub it on my shoulder, pain shoots through it. I bite back a scream at the loud, painful ringing in my right ear. I spot Aubrey looking at me sadly, but she quickly leaves, taking all of my hope with her.

"You're finally up,"a voice says and I turn to see Jesse smiling at me.

"What...where am I?"I croak, my voice scratchy.

"I brought you to a remote cabin. No one can hear you so don't even try to scream." He gently caresses my cheek before slapping it, my head whipping to the right, making my ear hurt even worse.

"Why am I here?" I glare at him and he gets all serious, scaring me.

"You're here so that I can talk some sense into you. I need you to stay away from Chloe. It's my job to protect her and I know that you're not a good person." I laugh.

"I'm not a good person? At least I don't kidnap people." He slaps me again and I just laugh.

"Really? I live with pain everyday so if you think that you can break me, you're wrong." He grabs the front of my shirt and slams me up against the wall, cracking the chair and maybe a rib.

"That was just a little taste of what I'm going to do to you until you promise to break up with my sister and never talk to her again."

"I'll just go to the police." He raises an eyebrow and grins.

"And who's going to believe you? You're just a bad girl who always gets detention at school. Chloe might believe you, but I'm her brother. She will always..always believe me over you." He drops me, the legs of the chair groaning under all the stress that's being put on it. Jesse walks over to a small table in the corner and carries it toward me. It has a bunch of your everyday tools on it and if he's going to do what I think he is with them, then I won't ever be able to look one again.

"When Nathan died, he left me to be the one to protect Chloe. I didn't do a good job of it at first, but after I met you, I knew that I had to step up. I couldn't just watch Chloe ruin her life. I tried to warn her but when that didn't work, I knew that this was the only way."

"Jesse, I know that you feel that way but it's not. We can talk this through."

"No,"he screams, spitting all over my face. "This is the only way. I really don't want to do it but if you can't leave Chloe alone, then I have to. I'm so sorry." With that, he grabs a small pocket knife and slices my cheek.

"If you think that you can make me leave Chloe alone, then you're wrong. I love her and will never leave her." Jesse growls, an inhuman sound and stabs the knife into my leg, making me scream. He shuts me up with a punch.

"You're making me do this Beca. Remember that." Jesse grabs a hammer and unties one of my hands. He forces my left hand on the table and slams the hammer down onto one of my fingers. I scream as he does this to each of them, pausing in between to see if I changed my mind. I never do. Frustrated, he ties my hand back to the chair, making me scream out in pain again.

"How about now?"He screams at me, his eyes containing a wild look in them. I shake my head and he punches me, splitting my lip. He grabs a wrench and slams it against my right ear, making me scream so loud that I eventually lose my voice. We go at this for hours before he sags in defeat. I cry, my ear pounding and it scares me when I can't hear anything out of it.

"I guess it's time." He stands up and grabs a metal rod. "This really was a last resort and I don't want to have to do it, but you're leaving me no choice. He puts on a pair of gloves and grabs a blowtorch, lighting it under the metal rod, making it red. When he starts lowering it toward me, I cry and shake my head.

"Tell me that you'll leave Chloe alone." I shake my head and he lifts my shirt, setting the hot metal rod on it. My skin starts burning and I scream as loud as I can. The pain becomes too much and I silently apologize to Chloe.

"Okay,"I scream, my voice almost a whisper now. "I'll do it." Jesse grins and sets it down.

"You have to do everything I say." I nod and he unties me, pulling me into a standing position but I'm too weak and collapse. "I want you to go into the car." I nod and we shuffle out of the cabin. It's dark now and I can barely see Aubrey. She looks like she has tears tracks on her face, but I don't look at her long enough to tell. Jesse shoves me into the driver's seat and Aubrey gets into a different car.

"Now, I want you to drive exactly where I tell you." I start the car and follow Jesse's directions. I shake so much from the pain and fear. "Stop here." I do and Jesse gets out.

"I want you to drive as fast as you can into that tree. If you do anything else, I will kill you and it won't be quick." I nod and debate driving away before remembering how much pain he put me in. I start the car and take a shaky breath before driving into the tree going 35.

The impact causes my airbag to shoot out and hit my face, almost knocking me out. Jesse walks over and starts to adjust me somewhat, probably to make it look like my injuries were from the crash. I don't think that he thought about the burn marks on my stomach because he walks away and into Aubrey's car. They drive away and I stay still, watching the smoke coming from the hood until I hear sirens in the distance. I hear footsteps and a policeman shines a light into my face.

"Are you Beca Mitchell?" I nod and he sighs, "We'll let you get checked out by the paramedic before we take you in." I frown and he sighs again, this time opening my door. "You're under arrest for the robbery of Jesse Beale's car."


	15. Chapter 15

Chloe's POV

I tap my foot impatiently as I wait for them to let Beca go. When I couldn't find Beca at her house, I called Stacie but she didn't know where she was either. After that, I waited and waited until Stacie called me saying Beca was in jail for stealing my brother's car. I've been trying to figure out why in the world she would do that and I can't think of a reason.

I look up and see Beca grabbing her stuff and then walking toward me, limping a little. I gasp when I see how bad she looks. Her face is all bruised up and she has a long cut on her cheek and a cast on her left hand. I call her name and it takes a second for her to answer.

"Chloe,"she says and gives me a weak smile. I just glare and walk out of the police station with Beca on my heels. When we get to the car, I whip around to face her.

"What the hell,"I scream and she takes a step back. "I was waiting for you when I got the call. Do you know what that felt like? Like crap. It's Christmas Eve, Beca. I was ready to spend a nice quiet evening with you. Not get the call that my girlfriend stole my brother's car and crashed it. You're lucky he didn't press charges." Beca scoffs and I start crying, not sure where the girl I fell in love with went.

"Chloe,"Beca says quietly, her poker face coming on. "I don't think that this is working out."

"What? Beca, no please. We can work this out." I plead but Beca just stands there, emotionless.

"No, Chloe. I thought that stealing your brother's car would get rid of you, but apparently not. I'm sorry but I don't want to be with you anymore. I hated going to the cabin with you every day and especially hated bringing Aubrey and your brother." I frown, not sure why she's saying these things. They never happened.

"Okay,"I sag in defeat. "We're done." I walk away, trying not to sob. "Merry Christmas, Beca," I call out over my shoulder, not looking back.

Beca's POV

I wait until Chloe drives away before sinking to my knees, ignoring the pain in my leg, and sobbing. What did I just do? After a few minutes, I pull myself together long enough to drag myself to my house and up to my roof. Somehow, I was able to sneak past my mom and her men who were all still awake. I lay down on my roof, pain inching through every part of my body. My stomach and ear especially.

Most of all though, my heart hurts. I cry and cry until I fall asleep into a pit of nightmares. I actually almost fall of the roof at one point so I decide to just stay awake and watch the sunrise. My eyes drift over to Chloe's house as the sunrise happens and my eyes widen when I see Chloe watching it from her window. She slowly turns and our eyes meet. I try and plead help with my eyes, but we're too far away. I sigh. I tried to send some messages that something was wrong when I broke up with her, but I think I just confused her. Shaking my head, I turn my attention back to the sunrise. Tears stream down my face as I watch Chloe leave out of the corner of my eye.

….

Christmas break comes and goes and it's finally time to go back to school, which I'm not looking forward to. I still can't hear out of my right ear and I should probably get it checked out. The paramedic asked what all hurts and I lied and said the cut on my cheek and a small headache. She also asked about the blood on my ear and I gestured to the cut which seemed to satisfy her.

I drag myself out of bed and to school, dreading seeing Chloe there. I don't know if I could handle seeing if she's doing okay or if she's hurting. I especially couldn't handle seeing Jesse or Aubrey. I have nightmares constantly about what they did to me. The cut on my cheek has healed and scarred so now I'll have a permanent reminder along with my ear.

I stopped seeing the specialist helping with my dyslexia, figuring that Chloe's mom wouldn't be very happy with me. Hell, I'm not happy with myself. I told myself that I wouldn't give in to the pain and listen to Jesse, but I did exactly that. I sprint into the school and go to my first hour, careful of my still broken hand. The paramedic asked a lot of questions about it and I just answered with a, 'I don't remember.'

I go through the motions and when lunch hits, I'm freaking out. So I just hide in the library. It's when my 5th hour, the first class with chloe, comes that I'm in full blown panic mode. Putting on my poker face, I enter the classroom and sit in my designated spot by Chloe. She doesn't look at me once and when Mr. J comes in, I focus on him.

"Welcome back from Christmas break everyone. I want everyone to ask their lab partners what they did over the summer and write it down. It'll be just like in the beginning of the year except this time you have to write down facts and then hand me the paper, telling me one of them. Get to work." Chloe and I don't move until finally Chloe turns to me.

"What did you do over Christmas break, Beca?" She glares at me and starts writing on the paper even though I haven't said anything. "Let's see. You led me on and then broke my heart. Let's not forget the car that you stole and crashed." A tear slips down my face and Chloe just watches it fall. I grab a piece of paper out and focus on writing my name.

"What did you do over Christmas break?"I softley ask, surprising Chloe. What she doesn't know is that anything she throws at me, I deserve it. Chloe explains that her family came over and she babysat her baby cousin. I slowly write it down, knowing that most of it is spelled of it wrong. I'm just glad that Chloe's speaking to me without sounding like she's going to murder me. The bell rings and we walk up to the teacher.

"Hand me your paper and tell me one fact,"Mr. J says and I go first.

"Chloe got to spend some quality time with her family." He nods and turns to Chloe who hands him her paper.

"She stole my brother's car,"Chloe says and stomps out.

"Did you really?"Mr. J asks and I nod. "That sucks. Women, right?" He jokes and I just give him a small smile before walking out and to my last class of the day.

I freeze in the doorway when I see Aubrey. I glance over at Chloe who's watching me, curiosity written all over her face. Looking back at Aubrey, I try to force myself to walk to a seat, but for some reason my legs won't work. All I can see is Aubrey walking out of the cabin and then what Jesse did after. My pulse races and my chest heaves as I try to suck in air that's not there all of a sudden. Feeling sick, I race to the bathroom and force my way into a stall, slamming the door behind me. After throwing up, I sit against the wall.

The bathroom door opens and I see Chloe's shoes. Right behind her is Aubrey. Shit.


	16. Chapter 16

Chloe's POV

I watch as Beca stands in the doorway of our english class, a look of panic on her face. Her eyes are wide with fear as she looks at Aubrey. I can see her struggling to breathe and I start to get up when she takes off. Standing, I following her and I hear footsteps behind me, but I ignore them. Beca may have broken up with me, but I still care about her.

Beca runs into the bathroom and I follow her in. I hear retching coming from a stall before it stops. The door opens behind me and Aubrey walks in.

"What the hell are you doing here?"I yell. "She was obviously freaked out by you."

"I just need to talk to her for a second,"Aubrey has a panicked look in her eyes and I can't help but wonder what is going on. "Beca, I'm so sorry. Okay, it wasn't my idea. I promise."

"Go away please,"Beca yells, breaking my heart when her voice cracks. Aubrey looks at the stall sadly before leaving the bathroom. I turn to find which stall Beca is in. I spot her feet under the last stall and I softley knock on it.

"What Chloe?"Beca sounds so tired and I open the door that she forgot to lock. Beca is sitting on the ground, hugging her knees. She has tears streaming down her face, just like the night I saw her on her roof.

"Are you okay?"I ask quietly and she doesn't answer. "Beca."I say louder, startling her.

"Sorry,"she apologizes and I can tell that she means more than not hearing me. She stands up and pushes past me, leaving me alone in the bathroom. I go back to class and grab my stuff. I leave early and drive home, frowning when I see Jesse's new car in the driveway. He should be at school. Well, so should I but why is he home? I enter the house and hide when I hear screaming coming from the living room.

"I'm done Jesse. I can't do this anymore."Aubrey screams.

"You have to. Do you know how much trouble that we'll get in?" Silence descends and I hear the front door open and close. What did Jesse do?

….

A few hours later, I head to the store with my mom. She's been helping me with the breakup and makes me laugh even when I don't feel like it. Like now. I laugh but stop as soon as I see Beca pushing a cart in front of us. My mom glares daggers at Beca's back and I playfully push her, making her stop. We finish shopping and are in line when a man carrying a tool box goes to the line next to us. I spot Beca out of the corner of my eye and I nudge my mom. We both watch as Beca stares at the tools and the man just smiles at her, picking up a wrench stained red. Beca's eyes widen and she runs out, leaving her cart behind.

"What was up with that?"My mom asks and I just shrug.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out."

Beca's POV

I run out of the store and the man carrying the tools, follows soon after. I watch as he hands them to Jesse. I gag. Oh god, those were the tools that he used on me. I go home and am surprised when I get a text from Chloe. She wants to meet with me right now. I frown and debate doing that. What if Jesse see's us talking? I decide to take that risk and I text her that I can come over in 10. She sends a thumbs up and I stop when I see Jesse's car. I wait until he leaves and then head over to Chloe's. I knock and Chloe yells at me to come in and I walk through the door that leads to the garage.

"Jesse just dropped these off and didn't bother putting them up." Chloe's carrying the tool box that the man handed to Jesse. She drops it and it spills everywhere. I want to help her, but my feet won't move. I can't bring myself to help her. It's when she picks up the blood stained wrench that I start to freak out.

"Chloe,"I scream, startling her. "Drop it. Now." She does and I start sobbing and pulling at my hair. Chloe stares at me and her mom comes in.

"What's going on?"She shouts and I flinch when she walks toward me.

"Just stay there,"I yell and she pauses. "I just need a second." I try to calm myself down, closing my eyes so that I don't see the tools.

"I tried picking up the tools and she freaked out." Chloe tells her mom and I open my eyes.

"I'm sorry,"I cry, wanting to tell her everything. "I'm sorry I hurt and lied to you. Oh man, I lied about so many things." Chloe's eyes water and her mom puts a hand on her arm.

"Lied about what, Beca?"Chloe asks and I start hyperventilating as I try to explain.

"My mom,"I start. "She doesn't work all the time. She just lays around drinking and screaming at me. I work my ass off to keep our house and what does she do with the money she makes? She buys beer and cigarettes. Occasionally, she's sober but even that doesn't stop her from hitting me. That's why I liked hanging out at your house so much and why I sleep on my roof sometimes." I stop rambling and try to pull myself together, but I see the wrench and gently touch my ear.

"Why did this make you freak out?"Chloe asks picking up the wrench and I scream, making her drop it again.

"Why is it red?"Kathrine asks and bends down to take a closer look at the wrench. "Was your brother painting again?" Chloe shakes her head and looks over at me.

"Are you okay?"She asks and I open my mouth to answer, when her mom screams.

"Oh my god. That's blood." Katherine grabs her phone and starts to call the cops. "What was Jesse doing with this?" I look down and start to tap my ear, gently.

"Christmas Eve,"I say getting both Chloe and her mom's attention. "I waited for you. I was getting worried until I saw your car pull into the driveway. It was Jesse and Aubrey though, not you. Then, everything went dark and when I woke up, I was tied to a chair. Jesse...he threatened to hurt me if I didn't break up with you. I wouldn't do it and he kept hitting me, over and over. That wrench, he used it to hit me again and again on the ear and now I can't hear anything out of it. After a while, I agreed. I'm so sorry, Chloe. I was afraid that he would kill me. I'm so sorry."

Chloe comes over and engulfs me in a hug. Her mom just stands there and rushes to the door when the cops arrive.

The next few hours are blurry as the cops get my story and bag the tools. Finally, they leave and I can finally get some rest. Until I turn 18, the cops are allowing me to stay with Chloe and her mom. If that doesn't work out, then I'll stay with Stacie.

I trudge up to Chloe's room and lay down. She comes in soon after and lays down, wrapping her arm around me. I'll have to deal with it all tomorrow and will probably have to testify against Jesse and Aubrey, but for now, I'm home.


	17. Chapter 17

Chloe's POV

I play with Beca's hair as she sleeps and think about all that she told me. I can't believe that she was going through so much. She hid it very well. Most of all though, I can't believe that my brother did that to her. I hear faint sobbing and untangle myself from Beca to go see who it is. My mom is sitting on the couch with her head in her hands.

"Mom,"I call out softly, trying not to startle her. "Are you okay?" She looks up and just shakes her head.

"I got a call a few hours ago from the police. They arrested Jesse and are taking him in for a psych evaluation. They think that he may have some mental illness." I wrap my arm around my mom and let her cry on my shoulder.

"It's okay. At least he can't hurt anybody. Have they found Aubrey?" My mom looks up and nods.

"She turned herself in,"she tells me and I nod, not surprised. Now, I know what she was screaming at Jesse about.

"Your father called,"my mom states and I pull away from her, not liking the change of subject. "He apologized. Apparently, he's noticed that Jesse had been acting strange lately, but he just thought that it was stress." I nod and we sit in silence until I speak.

"I had stopped talking to Jesse. He was very mean to Beca and I'm guessing that he's been planning on kidnapping her for a long time." My mom nods and kisses my forehead.

"You should probably head up and get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

"Okay, goodnight. I love you."

"I love you too,"my mom says and hugs me one more time before gently pushing me in the direction of my room. I laugh and hurry upstairs, to cuddle with the girl that I'm falling in love with.

Beca's POV

" _You need to hurry and tell Chloe that you love her,"Stacie tells me. "You don't want it to be too late." I nod and go to hug her when suddenly, I'm tied to the chair in the cabin. What? Jesse's standing above me, holding the wrench and screaming in frustration._

" _You made me do this." My head hangs as Jesse beats me. Then, I'm in the police station parking lot and breaking up with Chloe. Remembering what Stacie said, I open my mouth to tell Chloe I love her, but nothing comes out._

" _I can't do this,"Chloe says, walking away, leaving me standing there, unable to speak. I scream but all that comes out is a whisper and everything goes silent. A high pitched ringing noise starts and my head feels like it's splitting apart. I hold my head as I scream from the pain._

" _Beca,"a voice calls out and I look around to find it, but all I see is darkness. "Beca, wake up. Wake-"_

"Up,"Chloe shouts, shaking my shoulder, jerking me awake. The high pitched ringing is still going, but now it's only in my right ear. I hold my ear as I wait for the ringing to pass. Finally, it does and I sag against the bed, exhausted.

"Are you okay?"Chloe asks and I reach up to put my hand on her cheek. I missed her so much.

"Yeah,"I say, my voice hoarse from the screaming. "Just a nightmare."

"Do you want to talk about it?" I open my mouth to say no, but then remember my conversation with Stacie and the dream. I realize that I really do want to talk about it.

"It started out with me talking to Stacie, the day that Jesse…" Chloe nods, understanding what I'm talking about. "Well, one second I'm talking to Stacie and the next, I'm in the cabin again. It's like it was happening all over again. Then, I was in the parking lot with you and instead of breaking up with you, I was going to tell you that I.. Anyway, for some reason, I couldn't speak and it was too late. You walked away." Chloe watches me and then scoots next to me on the bed.

"What were you going to tell me?" I look down at my hands and I know that I need to tell her right now because I might not get another chance.

"I was going to tell you that I…"I falter and curse myself for what comes out of my mouth next. "I was just going to tell you that I didn't want to break up with you. That Jesse was making me do it." I see her face fall and she gets up, heading for the door.

"I'm going to make some breakfast. Meet me there when you're ready." She opens the door and I panic. I block her way and cup her face.

"I was actually going to tell you that I...I love you, Chloe Beale. You make me a better person and you make me feel things that I've never felt before. I don't know if you feel the same, but I really, really hope you do." Chloe stares at me for a second, before smashing her lips against mine. I wrap my legs around her waist and we kiss before she pulls away. She moves her lips to my right ear before remembering that I can't hear out of it and then moves to the left one.

"I love you too, Beca Mitchell." My heart swells with joy and we kiss for a few more minutes before her mom starts to come up the stairs.

"You need to get ready. We have to be at the station in an hour." She calls out and then walks away. I giggle, knowing how close we were at getting caught.

….

"You ready to do this?"Chloe asks as we pull into the police station.

"No, but I need to do it." I open my door when we stop and Chloe grabs my hand. Smiling, I squeeze it, knowing that with Chloe, I can do anything.


	18. Chapter 18

Beca's POV

I tap my foot, worriedly, as I wait for the doctor to get back. The police sent me here to get pictures and records of all my injuries that were from Jesse. Chloe and her mom stayed out into the hall so that I wouldn't be uncomfortable. They don't know all that Jesse did to me and I'm not ready to tell them. I love Chloe and I know that Chloe loves me, but will she after I show her what he did? Will she be disgusted by the permanent reminders that he left me?

They already took pictures of my burned stomach, X-rayed my ribs, took pictures of the scarred cut on my cheek and leg, and they already had my broken hand on file. Now, it's time for them to look at my ear. I told them what Jesse did to it and they just said ok and left. That can't be good. The doctor, a 50 year old, white haired man, walks in. He looks at me with kind eyes.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Brown and I will be examining your ear." He walks over and takes out some tools. "Before I start, I want to let you know that the paramedic that checked you out at the scene is being punished. She knew to check you everywhere for injuries, criminal or not. She's actually the one who goes to patch criminals up, so we're taking her off of it if she doesn't get fired. She probably will though since she most likely treats everybody else with that negligence and we can't have that."

"Oh, thank you,"I say, happy that he believes me.

"So tell me about your ear."

"I can't hear out of my right one. At first, when I woke up in the cabin, it was just muffled, but then he kept hitting it. Now, I hear nothing."

"Okay," Dr. Brown nods his head like he's thinking. "I'm going to try a few tests and if any of them hurt or make you feel uncomfortable, then let me know." I nod and he grabs the light and shines it in my ear, studying it. Then, he has me plug my other ear while he screams in my right one. I don't even flinch.

He takes the plug out of my ear and starts typing on his laptop. Turning to me, I can instantly tell that it's bad news.

"Beca, I don't think that you will ever regain any hearing in your ear. There's just too much damage. It's possible that you might get some of it back in the future though. Have you experienced any high pitched ringing in your ear?" I nod, sadly and he continues. "Okay, that's just an aftermath of the beating on your ear. It will stop with time. I say within a week or two. Any questions?"

"Do they have a enough to charged Jesse and Aubrey?" Dr. Brown nods.

"With your injuries, security tapes, and Aubrey's confession, they should have enough even it Jesse doesn't confess." Silence descends around us and Dr. Brown turns back to his laptop, typing a few more things before dismissing me. I walk out to find Chloe and her mom in the waiting room.

"You guys could've gone home or something. I was in there for hours." Chloe grabs my hand and kisses my cheek.

"It's okay, baby. We just wanted to make sure everything turned out okay. Did it?" I look away, my heart falling again at the thought of my ear.

"Are we allowed to go?" I ask, not trusting myself to be able to tell them about my ear without crying.

"They said that we can head on home,"Chloe's mom tells me. "They're waiting on Jesse's confession." We leave the police station and drive to Chloe's house.

"What'd they say about my mom?"

"They went to talk to her about you staying here, but she was gone. They don't know if it had to do with you or just a coincidence that she left yesterday."

"Probably just a coincidence. She had a habit of renting hotel rooms or staying with a friend for a night." Chloe and her mom look at me sadly and I close my eyes until we reach their house. I rush inside and to the bathroom, hoping to get a moment to breathe. Chloe knocks on the door and I think about not saying anything, but I owe her enough to show her what Jesse did to me. Maybe she'll turn me away or maybe, just maybe, she'll accept me. I mean, she has so far.

"Come in,"I call out and she opens the door, shutting it behind her.

"Are you okay?"She asks and I shake my head. "What's wrong?"

"I'm going to show you what Jesse did to me." Chloe sucks in a breath and I take off my pants, not thinking much about it and show her my leg. The scar is only 2 inches long and is raised a little. Unless you looked close, you wouldn't be able to see it.

"Oh Beca,"Chloe puts her hand to her mouth and I lift up my shirt. The burn marks are a few inches long each and crisscross each other on my stomach. Each one is a light pink and stretched.

"He did this to you? I can't even...I'm so sorry." I shake my head and grab Chloe's hands, kissing each tear that falls.

"You have nothing to apologize. Jesse's the one who did it. I'm just glad that I have you. I do have you, right? I know that I broke up with you and we haven't had a chance to talk about that yet." Chloe smiles through her tears and chuckles.

"Beca, you will always have me. You've had me since the moment that you walked through my front door." I kiss her and I get dressed so that way we can go eat. Her mom set the table and we sit down to eat the spaghetti that she made. We eat in silence before I speak.

"The doctor said that I probably won't get my hearing back in my ear." Chloe grabs my hand and her mom frowns.

"Did he say that there was anything that we could do?"

"No and I don't think I want to. I just want all of this to be over and it's honestly not too bad. I'll get used to it." Her mom nods, satisfied with my answer. I realize that I am okay with it. Most of the time I forget that I could ever hear out of it. It's like it's always been this way.

"Are you girls excited for your junior year to be over?"

"Yeah, I'm ready to get high school over with. Hopefully, our senior year isn't too bad." I nod in agreement and we get back to eating. I study Chloe and her mom, knowing that I'm now a part of their family. It feels so right, to be here with them. I finally found where I belong.

"Can I go to my house to grab all of my stuff?"

"Yeah, go right ahead,"Chloe's mom tells me and I get up, grabbing Chloe's hand and leading her to the front door.

"Will you come with?"

"Of course." We walk over to my house and I take a deep breath before entering. Beer bottles litter the floor but this time, I don't pick them up. Instead, we go to my room and I immediately open my window.

"Do you trust me?" I ask Chloe and she smiles.

"Definitely,"Chloe says, causing my heart to lift. I pull her onto the roof.

"I would come up here to get away from everything when I couldn't go to the forest. I especially liked watching the sunset and sunrise."

"It's-"she squints at something in the distance. "Can you see into my window?" I shake my head and she laughs.

"I'm messing with you,"she says and I clutch my chest in mock hurt.

"Chloe Beale, that's so mean,"I say and then launch myself toward her. I tickle her and she laughs, the most beautiful sound in the world. I stop and we stare at each other before kissing.

"I love you,"Chloe tells me.

"I love you too,"I say and kiss her again, never wanting to leave. My phone goes off and I groan.

"Hello,"I say irritated and Chloe slaps my arm mouthing 'be nice' to me. I grin and she just shakes her head.

"Is this Beca Mitchell?" A familiar voice asks and I recognize it as the detective that's on my case.

"Yes, may I help you?"

"I just wanted to let you know that we found your mother." My eyes widen in surprise.

"Where was she?" The detective sighs sadly and I frown, confused as to why he's sad.

"I'm so sorry, Beca,"the detective says and tears form as I realize what he's saying, but I let him say it anyway. "She's dead."


	19. Chapter 19

1 year later

Chloe's POV

I stand up at the podium in front of the whole school. My eyes meet Beca and I smile, happy that we've made it this far. There were a few times that I didn't think we would. Beca was a wreck after her mom died. Her mom got drunk with a bunch of friends and thought it was a good idea to rob store. They brought guns and when they were cornered by the cops, they started a gunfight. Her mom was hit in the process and announced dead at the scene. Beca was torn up because her mom left behind a letter apologizing for her actions and for not being a mother to her. It was written years ago, but still. Eventually, Beca came to terms with her mom's death and became her old self again.

Then, later in our senior year, the army found my brother's body and it almost killed me all over again. I lost the hope that he was still alive and it took me awhile to believe that he was really gone forever. We had a funeral which Jesse was allowed to attend. He ended up confessing and they took him to a place to get the help that he needs. Apparently, he didn't grieve right and instead took the place of the overly protective brother. He lost all sense of right and wrong. I haven't seen him since the funeral which was months ago.

My father and I are on better terms now that he's accepted Beca. They actually get along really well. Beca still lives with us, but in Jesse's old room. My mom wouldn't let her stay in my room, much to my disappointment. We still hung out constantly and even fulfilled our dream dates with each other. Beca's grades skyrocketed after she started seeing that specialist again and now she's looking at colleges with me. We're thinking of Barden University which isn't too far from here. I got elected as valedictorian and am currently working up the nerve to speak in front of the entire school.

We're in the front of the school on the courtyard. I spot my mom and she gives me a encouraging smile. I take a deep breath and begin my speech.

"We're finally here,"I say into the microphone. "Graduation. Crazy how it seems like just yesterday that I started high school here. I thought that I was prepared for anything, but it turns out I wasn't. These past two years, I've gone through more than I have in my entire life. I had a brother who did some horrible things to someone that I love. My father and I drifted apart and I didn't think that we would ever be the same again. My brother, Nathan, who went missing a few years ago, was found dead. It was like reliving his death all over again." I pause and meet Beca's eyes. "But these past two years have been the best of my life. My brother got help and was able to grieve for our brother properly. I now know that Nathan is not out there hurting. He's in a better place. My father and I are closer than ever and talk almost everyday." I smile at my dad, who's crying and then turn my gaze back to Beca.

"I also met the love of my life. Sure we went through a lot, but those events helped us become stronger. It was a really tough past two years, but we made it. And now we're ready to move on with the next part of our lives. I hope that it works out for all of us. A few of us will become famous and forget about ever attending Barden high school. Some of us will fall to bottom and believe that nothing will ever get better, but listen to me. For someone who's been there, it is possible to get back up. It will be hard though. I know what you're all thinking, why should we listen to this 18 year old girl? It's not like she even knows what she's talking about. I do though and I wouldn't change it one bit. If I did, then I wouldn't have met the love of my life. I would've sunk all the way to the bottom when they told me about Nathan. I may just be a 18 year old girl, but I'm an 18 year old girl that's been through a lot." I take a deep breath and close my eyes, trying not to get too emotional.

"Everybody has a story. Whether they share it or not is their decision. It's also up to them if they learn from it. I know I learned a lot these past two years and I choose to share my story. I want everyone to listen to these three tips that I learned and am going to give you. One, work hard. In order to survive out in the real world, we need to work as hard as we can. You do that and in the end, you will be rewarded. Two, don't forget to say I love you to your family. You never know if it's the last time or not. If you don't, you might make the biggest mistake of your life. Three, live your life. Don't just go through the motions or live afraid to take risks. I know that it's scary but once you get past those barriers, trust me. You won't regret it. Who knows where we will be in 10 years? Hopefully, we will all be making the most out of life. My brother used to tell me something when I was scared. He told me that he would always be by my side, forever and ever. I never realized the true meaning of that until recently. He didn't mean physically, he meant that he was there for me in my heart. I hope that everybody had someone or finds someone that they will keep in their heart. On this last note, I give my best to all of you. In a way, I will always keep you guys in my heart or on my mind. Forever and ever."

Everybody applauds me and stands up. I push through the crowd, trying to find the girl that changed everything. The girl that I can't live without.

"Chloe,"Beca calls out and suddenly grabs my wrist, whipping me around to face her.

"Did you mean it Chlo?"Beca asks over the loud crowd.

"Mean what?" I lean towards her to hear better.

"That I would be in your heart forever?" I smile and cup her face.

"100 percent and you got it wrong." She looks at me confused.

"What did I get wrong?" I kiss her and she smiles.

"You're in my heart, not just forever, but forever and ever." And with that, we all throw our hats in the air, symbolizing the future that we're striving toward and the people that we're doing it with.

 **A/N- I loved writing this chapter so much. I think that it's my best yet. I don't know if this should be my last chapter for this story or if I should show some of their college experience. I would love to hear your thoughts on whether I should be done or not.**


	20. Chapter 20

Two months later

Beca's POV

"Chloe, hurry. We don't want to be late to class. Especially, on the first day." I call out to Chloe, who's taking forever in the bathroom.

"I'm almost done,"Chloe yells.

"You said that an hour ago,"I groan and she opens the door.

"What are you doing? Let's go already,"she grins and hops out the door. That girl drives me insane, but I love her. We get into the car and drive the short distance to the University. We don't even need a car but Chloe's prone to making coffee trips throughout the day. I sigh when we pull in to the parking lot, not ready for school.

"What's your first class?"I ask Chloe and she points in the opposite direction that I'm going.

"I have English with Professor Mitchell. It's so crazy that you have the same last name as him."

"Mitchell isn't that uncommon of a last name, but you're right. It's weird. Anyway, I have to go. Love you,"I kiss her on the cheek and we part ways. After all of my classes, I get a text from Chloe that says to meet her at Professor Mitchell's classroom. She has to ask him a few questions about their homework.

I smile, excited to see Chloe. This is the longest that we've been apart since graduation. I get to Professor Mitchell's classroom and knock on the door. A voice yells at me to come in and I spot Chloe, instantly going toward her. I pause when I see the professor. It's been almost 9 years since I've seen him, but I will never forget his face. Dad. I can tell that he doesn't recognize me so I just continue toward Chloe.

"Hey,"I say, my voice cracking and making Chloe frown at me.

"I'm almost done asking him questions so we'll be able to leave real soon,"Chloe tells me, kissing my cheek and then turning back to my dad. I study my dad as him and Chloe talk. He looks so much older then he used to. Stress wrinkles line his face and he has gray hair sprinkled on his darker brown hair. I turn my attention to the picture on his desk. It's a woman with blond hair that looks just like a barbie. There's a boy that looks like a younger me with my dark hair, standing between them. I spot another picture of the boy as a teenager. He has a baseball uniform on and I cringe when I notice how much he looks like me. He has to be at least 13 in the picture so he must be about 5 years younger then me. If I do my calculations right, then he had to have been 5 years old when my dad left. That means my dad was cheating on my mom for several years. Why didn't he leave earlier though? Why wait several years going back and forth between families before leaving? Why-

"Miss,"my dad says, jerking me out of my thoughts. "Are you okay?" Chloe's tugging at my arm and I shake my head.

"I'm fine,"I lie and Chloe frowns again.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Chloe and…." Chloe opens her mouth to say my name, but I interrupt her before she can.

"Stacie,"I blurt out too aggressively, startling my dad and Chloe. "It's Stacie."

"It was nice to meet you Stacie,"my dad turns to his papers but stops us when we get to the door. "Have I seen you somewhere before, Stacie?" I shake my head and bolt out of the room before he looks at the picture of his son and realizes the resemblance.

"What the hell, Beca?"Chloe shouts when we get out to the parking lot. "You just lied to my professor. What's he going to do when he finds out?" I keep my back to her, tears streaming down my face. Chloe stomps over to me and goes from angry to worried in just a second.

"Becs, what's wrong?"She cups my face and I suck in a sharp breath.

"He's my dad,"I whisper and she freezes. "Professor Mitchell is my dad."

Chloe's POV

"Professor Mitchell is my dad,"Beca whispers, stopping me in my tracks. I shake my head trying to process this.

"He's your dad? Are you sure?"Beca nods. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I couldn't bring myself to. He didn't even recognize me, Chloe. His own daughter. He also has a son."

"I'm so sorry,"I say and kiss her. "Let's go home." She nods and we go to our apartment. Beca instantly goes to the bedroom, breaking my heart at seeing her in pain. We've been through so much. We can get through this. I set my stuff down and go into our bedroom to find Beca asleep. Chuckling, I start making some food. I know for a fact that she'll be hungry as soon as she wakes up. Sure enough, the moment I finish cooking, Beca exits the bedroom and sits on a stool.

"Thanks,"she says when I give her a plate full of food. She starts picking at it and I look at her sadly.

"What do you need?" I ask her and she looks up, confused. "Anything you need, I'll do. Whatever will help." She smirks and wiggles her eyebrows, sending butterflies stirring in my stomach. She pauses and goes serious.

"I want to find out what team his son plays on and when their next game is." I frown, not sure why she wants to do that.

"I want to see him. It'll help me decide if I want to tell my dad who I really am." I nod in understanding and we get to work. It doesn't take too long and now I'm looking at the time for his next game.

"It's tomorrow at noon,"I tell Beca and she nods. "Are you sure you want to do this?" She nods and I kiss her. She deepens it and the next thing I know, we're in the bedroom, clothes flying everywhere.

"I love you,"I tell her and she smiles.

"I love you too,"she tells me before sweeping me up into a very passionate kiss that continues all throughout the night.

 **A/N- Yay, I finally got to finishing this chapter. School has been kicking my butt. I'll continue this story for a little longer before moving onto a new one. I have several more ideas for Pitch Perfect fanfics. I hope you guys are enjoying my story!**


	21. Chapter 21

Beca's POV

The next day, Chloe and I had to the ballpark. We sit up in the bleacher, hoping that my dad won't see us. I spot him sitting on the bottom seats with the blond haired woman. I assume that she's Sheila. I scan the baseball player for my brother and find him looking out at the crowd. He turns his attention to the game that just started. I study him as he plays, doing much better than all the other kids. He's a team player though and actually helped another team player up when they fell. That caused the other team to get a score.

The game ends, my brother's team losing and he walks toward his parents. He looks up and meets my gaze. Tripping, he almost face plants but our dad catches him. Sheila says something to him and he just points up at me. Sheila looks at where he's pointing and her eyes widen. Finally, my father turns and meets my eyes. He frowns and looks down at my brother and then back up at me. His eyes widen in recognition and he starts up the steps. I grab Chloe's arm and lead her off the bleachers and to the parking lot.

We're almost to the car when someone calls out my name.

"Beca, wait," my dad shouts. I stop and Chloe puts her hand on my arm, comforting me.

"You should listen to what he has to say,"Chloe suggests and I nod, smiling at her. "I'll be with you the whole time." I turn to my dad right as he reaches me. Sheila and my brother are right behind him.

"I didn't realize that it was you,"my dad tells me. "The scar kind of threw me off and it's been so long." I touch the scar on my cheek and Chloe gently grabs my hand and pulls it down.

"It's okay. It has been a while, hasn't it?"I turn my attention to my brother. "What's your name?"

"Branden, who are you?" I smile at the 13 year old.

"I'm Beca. I'm your sister." His eyes widen and he grabs his mom's hand. I turn my attention to her.

"It's nice to finally meet you,"I tell her and we shake hands.

"Branden and you look so much alike,"Sheila states and I smile.

"How about we all go out to lunch. On me,"my dad announces and we agree on a restaurant that's close. Chloe and I get into our car and head to the restaurant.

"How are you doing?" Chloe asks and I take a hand off the steering wheel and place it on her thigh.

"Good. I have you,"I tell her and she smiles but it quickly fades.

"What if they ask about us?"

"Then I'll tell them that I'm hopelessly in love with you and that they can take their opinions and shove them up their ass." Chloe giggles. "Seriously though, if they have a problem with it, then we're leaving."

"Okay,"she says, grinning. We pull into the parking lot and park, heading inside the restaurant. Chloe and I sit across my dad, Sheila, and Branden. I smile at Branden, who hasn't stopped staring at me since we sat down. We order our food and sit in awkward silence until my dad speaks.

"I'm so sorry that I left. Your mother figured out that I was with Sheila and freaked out. Your mom had been cheating on me and we had just grown so distant. When sheila had Branded, I went back and forth between the houses, trying to be there for you. That worked for a while until she found out about Branden. She was threatening to kill him and I had to leave. She wouldn't let me take you though and I had to make a decision. I'm so sorry, Beca. I never meant to hurt you." I take a deep breath before answering.

"I forgive you. I understand how hard it is to live 2 separate lives. Let's put that into the past and move on." My dad smiles and grabs my hand.

"So, how have you been?"

"Pretty good,"I tell him and he nods.

"How's your mother?" I suck in a breath and Chloe squeezes my hand.

"Uh, mom is..she passed away,"I say. No matter how bad she treated me, she was still my mother.

"I'm so sorry,"Sheila says and I just shake my head.

"She wasn't the….best person,"I tell them and my dad raises his eyebrows in confusion. "After you left, she changed. A lot. She-"I stop and look at Branden, not sure how to proceed.

"It's okay,"Sheila tells me and I continue.

"She started drinking and couldn't keep a job. Then, she turned to hitting me." Sheila and my dad gasp. "When I moved out after an incident, she tried robbing a store and got killed. It's been over a year now though and my mom left me a letter. I forgave her and moved on with my life." My dad nods. I rub Chloe's palm with my thumb, bringing attention to our linked hands. I tense up, prepared for anything.

"How did you two meet?"My dad asks. I don't relax all the way, though, because this could go bad any minute and tell him.

"She moved across from me junior year. I went over for dinner and since then, we've been inseparable." Chloe and I smile at each other.

"There has to be more than that?"My dad begs and I laugh. Chloe takes over.

"We were friends for a while until we started dating. My dad didn't really agree with our relationship at first, but now, after...the incident, he's okay with it." Chloe looks at me sadly and traces the scar on my cheek. I put my hand on hers and we're ripped out of the moment when Branden speaks.

"What incident?" I look at him and try to think of a way to say this without traumatizing him.

"Chloe's brother had some problems and he did some very bad things to me." Branden's eyes widen and what he says next surprises me.

"Did he rape you?" Chloe and I look at Sheila and my dad but they just look at me. It's like it's common for their 13 year old son to talk about rape. They notice our confusion and smile at me.

"A few months ago, my older daughter's boyfriend tried raping her while she was babysitting Branden. Branden saw him and called the cops. They came and stopped him before he was able already knew what it was but since then, he's been all about helping people."

"Is she okay?"Chloe asks and Sheila nods.

"She was a little traumatized but after some therapy, she got back on track with her life and went back to college. She's only 2 years older than you two."

"So were you?"Branden asks again and I shake my head. My dad lets out a loud sigh of what sounded like relief.

"Jesse kidnapped me and hurt me. That's how I got this scar on my face." Branden leans across the table and touches my scar. He quickly sits down and Sheila strokes his hair. We sit and talk for several more hours before making plans to meet up again. After exchanging numbers, Chloe and I leave and head home.

"I like them,"Chloe states and I chuckle. I stare out the window as Chloe drives and imagine a future with my dad in it. After doing that for several minutes, I look at Chloe and then her left hand. Funny, every scenario of the future with my dad included her. She also had a ring on her finger. I look back out the window and tap my chin. Now, how do I make that happen?


	22. Chapter 22

Chloe's POV

I take a shaky breath before going up to Beca's dad.

"May I have a minute to talk to you?"I ask him and he nods, bringing me into his office while my mom and dad chat with Beca and Sheila. After a month of Beca getting to know her dad a little more, we finally brought my parents to meet them. My mom and dad are finally on good terms and actually are spending a lot more time, getting to know each other over again. I think it's sweet.

"What do you need?"Mr. Mitchell asks and my hand shakes as I run it through my hair.

"Well, I've been thinking about this for a while and I want you to know that I love Beca with everything that I have and I want to spend the rest of my life with her." Mr. Mitchell slowly nods his head like he's trying to figure out what I'm saying. "This seems like the right thing to do. Coming to you and asking for...Beca's hand in marriage." His jaw drops and he stares at me for awhile before answering.

"Of course, Chloe. You make her happy and have helped her through many tough times. I would be honored to have you as a daughter." I hug him and he grips my shoulders.

"Now, how and when are you going to do it?" I shrug.

"I don't have all the details yet, but I think I'm going to do it tonight." He nods and reaches into a draw nearby.

"This was my mother's engagement ring and then it was Sheila's. Now, I'm giving it to you to give to Beca."

"It's beautiful,"I gaze at the gold band that holds a diamond on top. "Thank you." I put the box in my pocket. He nods and we leave the room. I frown, confused, when I see Beca come out of the kitchen with my parents. They must've went to get a drink. I smile and pat my pocket, ready for tonight. Hopefully, Beca will say yes.

Beca's POV

I watch as Chloe takes my dad into a room and I realize that this is my chance. I pull her parents into the kitchen and get ready to ask them what I've been wanting to for awhile.

"I've been thinking about this for awhile and I hope that you guys will say yes. I love Chloe and I would do anything for her. I want to ask for your blessing to ask Chloe to marry me." Chloe's mom gasps and hugs me instantly. I take that as a yes and slowly look at Mr. Beale, afraid of what he'll think.

"You want to marry my daughter?"He growls and I flinch as he steps toward me. Chloe's mom puts her hand on his shoulder which he shrugs off. Stopping in front of me, he grabs my shoulders. Then, hugs me. Wait, what?

"Of course you can marry my daughter. She's so much more happier with you and I thank you for that. I wasn't there for her but you were." I laugh and Ms. Beale hands me a box.

"I had a feeling you were going to ask us that sooner or later. I've been carrying it around for about a month or two. This has been passed down throughout my family and I want you to give it to her." I nod, speechless as I open the box and stare down at the most beautiful ring that I have ever seen. It's a silver band and on top is a dark, sparkling blue sapphire. It reminds me of Chloe's eyes.

"Thank you so much." I hug them again and we walk out of the kitchen just as Chloe and my dad walk out. We talk for a little longer and than I announce that I'm taking Chloe on a date and we leave.

"But I was going to take you out,"she pouts in the car and I laugh.

"We're both taking each other out, okay?"She smiles, satisfied and I drive toward the waterfall, that's become our spot over the years.

3rd person POV- at the house

"We have something to tell you,"Katherine Beale says to Sheila and Warren Mitchell who both nod eagerly. Warren had whispered in Sheila's ear what Chloe had asked him as soon as he had come out with her.

"We do to,"Warren says. "You go first."

"Beca asked us if she could marry Chloe,"Chris Beale, the man that intimidates everybody, states. Sheila and Warren's jaw drop open.

"Chloe asked me that too,"Warren says, causing the Beale's mouths to drop open this time.

"Well,"Branden says from the couch in the living room says, startling them. "That's going to be interesting."

Chloe's POV

We sit on the edge of the waterfall and I finger the box, trying to figure out the right time to do this.

"Do you ever wish that Nathan hadn't died?"Beca asks suddenly. Her question throws me off.

"Well, yeah,"I tell her and she nods. "But if he hadn't, there's the chance that I would've never met you. He died for a reason and I like to think that, that reason is you. You are the most important person in the world to me and I love you." She nods and grabs my hand.

"If you could've had a life with your dad, would you have?" Her eyebrows pinch together in the most adorable way as she thinks.

"I don't think so,"she says turning toward me. "I wouldn't be who I am today if I had. There's the chance that I would've ended up moving and never meeting you. I love who I am and I definitely love who you are. Oh, I have a something for you." She turns away, reaching for something. This is my chance.

"I do to,"I tell her and turn away. I grab the box and open it as I turn back to her. Shock lights up both of our faces as we stare at each other's boxes. We both have rings.

Beca's POV

I stare at her box and start laughing. She joins in and soon we're both rolling on the ground, cracking up.

"I planned on asking you to marry me,"I say after we finish laughing. She nods her head.

"Me too,"she says before giggling, melting my heart and if I were standing, I'd be a puddle. "God, I love you."

"I love you too,"I say and frown. "What now?" She smiles and opens her mouth. I know what she's about to do and I rush to beat her.

"Will you marry me?"We both ask in unison, making us laugh even harder. We both get serious and answer at the same time.

"Yes." We kiss and I start giggling at the whole thing again.

"I can't believe that we both planned to do this."

"Yeah,"she shakes her head in disbelief. "It's crazy and romantic. It's crazy romantic."

"I love you, Chloe Beale,"I say and she beams.

"I love you, Beca Mitchell." We lay down and I slide the ring onto her finger and she does the same. Laying there, the stars twinkling down on us and the cool breeze bring us closer together, I thank God that I found Chloe. The girl who changed my life for the better. I look over at her as she falls asleep, her head on my chest. My fingers play with her hair and I kiss her head. I look up at the stars and I picture each of them as people who we've lost.

"I'll take care of her,"I whisper to one star that caught my eye. "I promise Nathan. Forever and ever." The star blinks in and then out and disappears.

The end!

 **A/N- I finished it! I saw a video of two girls proposing to each other at the same time by accident the other day and thought that it was adorable. I just couldn't help myself. I really hope that you guys enjoyed this story and that'll you'll read my other one. I'm about to start a new one and I hope you'll read it. Thank you so much for your thoughts and comments on this story. I love reading what you guys think about my story. Once again, thank you!**


End file.
